How to watch the Winter Olympics opening ceremony? TV start time and channel details
Don’t miss watching the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics! 🥌📺
- The Winter Olympics are skating onto our TV screens.
- Athletes from around the world are assembling for the games.
- But how can you watch this year’s opening ceremony?
An extravaganza of winter sports is set to take over our TV screens from tonight.
The highly anticipated Milano Cortina 2026 games will begin with a bang in the form of the opening ceremony. Mariah Carey is on hand to help open up the major sporting event.
Athletes from across the world - including the UK and Yorkshire - will be taking to the slopes, ice, and half-pipes over the coming days. Expect dramatic wins, shock eliminations, and plenty more during the Winter Olympics.
However, just like its summer counterpart, the games will kick-off with a spellbinding opening ceremony. Here’s all you need to know:
Where is the Winter Olympics this year?
Beijing was the host for the previous edition of the iconic winter games, all the way back in 2022. It came 14 years after the city had hosted the summer event back in 2008.
The torch has been passed and the 2026 event will take place in Italy. It means that for viewers back in the UK, the timings will be extremely reasonable - no early starts!
Milan and the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo are co-hosting the events over the next couple of weeks. The games officially open today (February 6), but a few disciplines actually started as early as Wednesday (February 4) - with curling kicking-off that day.
The games are set to run until Sunday, February 22.
How to watch the Winter Olympics in the UK?
Once again, plenty of the games will be available on free-to-watch TV over the coming fortnight plus. The BBC will be providing coverage every single day across BBC One, Two, and iPlayer.
The daily schedule will be:
- BBC One: 9am-12pm with Hazel Irvine; 2 pm-5.15pm with Jeanette Kwakye
- BBC Two: 1pm-2pm with Jeanette Kwakye; 5.15pm-10pm with Clare Balding
Plus there’s an Olympics Extra live digital stream from 8am-11pm daily. It will also be live on TNT Sports - for those who have a subscription.
What time is the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on TV?
The games will kick-off with the usual pomp and circumstance this evening with the highly-anticipated opening ceremony. It is set to feature some very famous names!
Taking place at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, it will end with the traditional lighting of the Olympic Cauldron – with one in Milan and one in Cortina.
Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, Andrea Bocelli, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Sabrina Impacciatore are among the names confirmed for the event. However, the BBC teases there are likely to be a few surprise acts thrown in as well.
It will be live on BBC Two and iPlayer from 6.30pm today (February 6). According to the schedule it is expected to end around 10pm.