Katie Ledecky will likely be back in the pool for tonight’s evening session in Paris. The American swimming legend won her first gold medal of these Olympics yesterday in the 1,500-meter freestyle, setting a new Olympic record in the process. It was her eighth Olympic gold medal in her storied career.
The US team leads the swimming medal count with 17, but counts only three golds among its haul so far. Australia leads in the early going with four gold medals among its total of 10. More hardware is up for grabs during Thursday’s evening session, which is about to begin in Paris.
The lineup has yet to be announced for Team USA for today’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay, but Ledecky is expected to be a part of it.
Katie Ledecky has won a gold and a bronze medal so far at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Here are the events on tap for today’s evening session that begins at 8:30 p.m. CET / 7:30 p.m. BST / 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT / 4:30 a.m. Thursday AEST):
- Men’s 200-meter Backstroke Final
- Women’s 200-meter Backstroke Semifinals
- Women’s 200-meter Breaststroke Final
- Men’s 200-meter Medley Semifinals
- Men’s 50-meter Freestyle Semifinals
- Women’s 4×200 meter Freestyle Relay Final
Below, we outline the Olympic swimming TV schedule and provide recommendations for the best streaming services for watching the men’s and women’s events in the US, as well as international viewing options for Canada, Australia and the UK.
How to watch the Olympic swimming events
If you want to stream swimming events at the 2024 Olympics in the US, you’ll want Peacock. Even after a recent price hike, which raises the monthly charge from $6 to $8, Peacock is one of the most affordable streaming services. With it, you can watch any event live; NBC states Peacock will stream 5,000 hours of live coverage throughout Paris 2024, including all 329 medal events and, crucially, all swimming events from this year’s Games.
In addition to livestreaming each event, Peacock will have a whip-around show, Gold Zone, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET (4 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT) each day. If you’re watching an event on Gold Zone that you’re really into, you can continue to watch it even if Gold Zone cuts away to something else. Peacock will display Live Action on-screen prompts that will let you stay with the event or follow Gold Zone’s coverage.
Peacock will also have four multiview options that will let you watch four events at once. You’ll be able to watch NBC’s nightly Primetime in Paris show on Peacock, and Peacock will have its own daily recap show “hosted” by an AI-generated Al Michaels.
Peacock offers two Premium plans, and each saw its monthly price go up by $2 on July 18. The ad-supported Premium plan now costs $8 per month, and the ad-free Premium Plus plan now costs $14 per month. You can use either Premium plan to watch the Olympics.
If you’re a new Peacock customer, subscriptions cost $8 per month for Peacock Premium and $14 per month for Peacock Premium Plus. Annual plans are $80 for Premium, while Premium Plus costs $140 per year. Existing subscribers will pay these new rates starting on Aug. 17.
Read our Peacock review.
Where are the 2024 Olympics swimming events being held?
The 2024 Olympics’ Men’s and Women’s swimming events will take place at the Paris La Defense Arena, a modular multipurpose venue in Nanterre, a northern suburb of Paris. The venue will also host the Paris 2024 water polo competitions.
When do the 2024 Olympics swimming events start and end?
Swimming events are underway and conclude with the final of the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay on Sunday, Aug. 4.
A full schedule for swimming events at the 2024 Olympics, including timings, can be found at the foot of this page.
What’s the time difference between Paris and the US?
Paris is six hours ahead of New York and the rest of the Eastern time zone. It’s seven hours ahead of the Central time zone, eight hours ahead of Mountain time and nine hours ahead of Pacific time.
This difference means that most events will be shown live in the morning and afternoon for US viewers.
Do I need Peacock to watch the Olympic swimming in the US?
Nope, you can watch select events on TV, but Peacock will give you access to every heat, semi-final and final.
In the US, you need five TV channels for the Olympics: NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. USA Network will show US team sports, including swimming.
NBC will broadcast its Primetime in Paris show each evening in the US. Mike Tirico hosts the show, which includes reports from Snoop Dogg.
What’s the best live TV streaming service for the Olympics?
Sling TV is the most affordable option if you live in one of the few markets where it offers NBC. Failing that, YouTube is the best service for the Olympics because its base plan, which costs $73, offers all five channels you’ll need.
If Sling takes the conditional gold medal and YouTube TV gets the silver among live TV streaming services for watching the Olympics, then Hulu with Live TV will be awarded the bronze. It costs only $4 more per month than YouTube TV and includes all five channels for watching the Olympics.
Read more: Best Sports Streaming Service for 2024
And with a live TV streaming subscription (or cable/satellite plan), you’ll be able to authenticate yourself as a pay TV subscriber to watch live streams of every event on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app or the NBC Olympics app. That’s a great option if you don’t want to sign up for Peacock and want to pick and choose which events to watch.
Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes NBC, USA Network and E!. You can add CBNC for an extra $6 a month and the Golf Channel for another $11 a month. Even with those add-ons, Sling TV is the cheapest way to get all five channels for the Olympics — provided you live in one of the few markets where Sling offers NBC.
Read our Sling TV review.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to confirm which local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
Hulu with Live TV costs $77 a month and includes NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to confirm which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. For more information, check out our live TV streaming services guide.
How to watch the Olympics swimming from anywhere with a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the Olympics swimming locally, you may need a different way to watch the games — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to a sporting event. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month with code SPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the 2024 Olympic swimming in the UK
The BBC will broadcast the 2024 Games on its free-to-air channels, but coverage is limited to just BBC One and BBC Two. You can also live stream all the action from Paris on the BBC iPlayer.
The BBC iPlayer has dedicated apps available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes, all you need is a valid UK TV license to stream the tournament.
The BBC promises more than 250 hours of live coverage of the Olympics across the two channels, but not every heat of the swimming events is set to be shown live. For those in the UK wanting more comprehensive coverage of swimming as well as the Olympics as a whole, Discovery Plus is where it’s at, which is offering 3,800 hours of live coverage across 55 dedicated online channels.
A subscription to Discovery Plus in the UK costs £7 a month or £60 for the year.
The service is available on a wide array of devices and also includes access to all Eurosport TV channels.
Livestream the 2024 Olympic swimming in Australia
Aussies can watch the Olympic swimming on more than Nine Network. The Network will have select live coverage of the Olympics and you can watch on-demand highlights on the network’s streaming service 9Now.
Meanwhile, pay-TV service Stan Sport will show all 329 Olympic events ad-free and in 4K Ultra HD.
Channel 9’s streaming service 9Now is free to use for viewers in Australia, with dedicated apps for Android and Apple devices, as well as Amazon Fire, plus a wide range of smart TVs.
Stan Sport costs AU$10 a month (on top of an AU$10 Stan subscription), but the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial. It will show every event — ad-free and in 4K — and you’ll be able to stream live or on-demand.
Livestream the 2024 Olympic swimming in Canada
In Canada, the Games will be broadcast on TV channels CBC, TSN and Sportsnet and shown on the free CBC Gem streaming service.
The free CBC Gem streaming service will show live events each day of the 2024 Olympics.
Quick tips for streaming the 2024 Olympics swimming using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Olympic swimming live may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the events after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases, with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. Having a VPN on your router will also help since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
2024 Olympics – Swimming: Remaining schedule
All times CET Paris local
Thursday, Aug. 1
Evening session:
8:30 p.m. Women’s 200m Butterfly — Final
8:37 p.m. Men’s 200m Backstroke — Final
8:44 p.m. Women’s 200m Backstroke — Semifinals
9:04 p.m. Women’s 200m Breaststroke — Final
9:11 p.m. Men’s 200m Medley — Semifinals
9:35 p.m. Men’s 50m Freestyle — Semifinals
9:49 p.m. Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay — Final
Friday, Aug. 2
Morning session (from 9 a.m.):
Men’s 100m Butterfly — Heats
Women’s 200m Medley — Heats
Women’s 800m Freestyle — Heats
4x100m Mixed Medley — Heats
Evening session:
6:30 p.m. Men’s 50m Freestyle — Final
8:36 p.m. Women’s 200m Backstroke — Final
8:43 p.m. Men’s 200m Medley — Final
9:00 p.m. Men’s 100m Butterfly — Semifinals
9:22 p.m. Women’s 200m Medley — Semifinals
Saturday, Aug. 3
Morning session (from 9 a.m.):
Women’s 50m Freestyle — Heats
Men’s 1,500m Freestyle — Heats
Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay — Heats
Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay — Heats
Evening session:
8:30 p.m. Men’s 100m Butterfly — Final
8:37 p.m. Women’s 50m Freestyle — Semifinals
9:01 p.m. Women’s 200m Medley — Final
9:08 p.m. Women’s 800m Freestyle — Final
9:34 p.m. 4x100m Mixed Medley — Final
Sunday, Aug. 4
6:30 p.m. Women’s 50m Freestyle — Final
6:36 p.m. Men’s 1,500m Freestyle — Final
7:06 p.m. Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay — Final
7:26 p.m. Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay — Final
