Milan Cortina 2026: a complete guide to live broadcasts and platforms to follow the Olympic competitions on TV and streaming
Find out how to follow the Winter Olympic competitions, including free broadcasts and paid services, with in-depth coverage of the most anticipated athletes and disciplines.
Key points
Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo and the venues of the first 'widespread Olympics' woke up under the sign of the Games. Filed the inauguration ceremony - among the ovations for Sergio Mattarella, who arrived by tram with the exceptional driver Valentino Rossi; artists of the calibre of Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini and Mariah Carey; the athletes' parade; the lighting of the simultaneous Olympic braziers in Milan and Cortina and, going beyond the stadium, amidst a few too many blunders in the RAI commentary - the sporting world officially moved to the snowy slopes and the Italian ice to celebrate the Winter Olympics in Italia 20 years after the last one in Turin (and 70 years after the other, in Cortina). With 116 medals up for grabs and more than 2,900 athletes from over 90 nations, this edition promises spectacle, competitive drama and moments to be cherished in the collective memory.
In general, these in Milan Cortina will represent a first big test of a sporting event seen as a mosaic, made up of live broadcasts, clips, highlights, news, commentary and delayed coverage. An Olympics that streams, bounces on Connected TV, breaks up and then reassembles itself in daily routines. The rights are held by Warner Bros Discovery, which owns Eurosport, with 250 hours of live broadcasts also available to Rai.
So, those who want to follow the competition will be able to do so, free of charge or with a subscription, thanks to a combination of public networks and digital services. On Rai (Rai 1 for the ceremonies; Rai 2 and RaiSportHD) for free-to-air broadcasts of the most exciting competitions and ceremonies, with free streaming on RaiPlay. On the Eurosport channels (on Dazn, Timvision, Prime Video), on discovery + and on Hbo Max (Warner Bros Discovery platforms) there will be full live coverage of all the Olympic Games, more than 1,000 hours of Olympic programming, replays and in-depth reports.
Alpine skiing
After the opening ceremony, it is immediately downhill and medals day. Names like Dominik Paris and Sofia Goggia attract the attention of the Italian and international public: every split second counts, and every turn can rewrite history. The men's downhill final is scheduled at 11.30 a.m. on Saturday, 7 February. The following day, 8 February, it will be the turn of the women's downhill.
Figure Skating: art and precision on ice
Among the most eagerly awaited competitions is undoubtedly figure skating. From this speciality will come, also today Saturday 7 February, one of the first Olympic medals with the women's 3000 m. On Sunday, 8 February, the men's singles final.
