Paris 2024 Opens in a Ceremony of Dance and Controversies

For the first time in Summer Games history, the Olympics Opening Ceremony will be held outside of a stadium. Instead, athletes will parade down Paris’s famous River Seine on boats. Chances are that even Celine Dion and Lady Gaga will be spotted there performing on the stage.

10,500 athletes on 94 boats will navigate a six-kilometer route ending in front of the Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower. The rest of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, including the lighting of the Olympic cauldron and the official opening speech by French President Emmanuel Macron, will take place at this iconic location. The ceremony is expected to last around three and a half hours, starting from 6:30pm and wrapping celebrations at 10pm BST.

Here’s how to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony across various European countries:

Where to Watch the Olympics 2024 Live in the United Kingdom

In the UK, the BBC will be providing coverage of the Olympics for free. The coverage will span from 8am until 10pm daily on BBC One, with BBC Two taking over during news broadcasts. An additional Olympics Extra channel will be available on BBC iPlayer, providing viewers with extensive access to live events and highlights. Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, and Discovery+ will also offer additional coverage, although these services require a subscription.

The live coverage of the opening ceremony begins at 5:45pm on Friday, 26 July, and will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online, and BBC Red Button. For those requiring accessibility features, a signed version of the Opening Ceremony will be available on BBC Red Button 1 HD and BBC iPlayer.

Where to Watch the Olympics 2024 Live in France

In France, Warner Bros. Discovery and France Télévisions have secured the broadcasting rights for the Paris 2024 Olympics. French viewers can enjoy free-to-air live coverage on France 2 and France 3. For those with pay TV, Eurosport will provide comprehensive access to all the Olympic events.

France Télévisions, the primary broadcaster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, will air the Opening Ceremony on France 2 from 7:30pm (local time) to approximately 11:15pm. Commentators Laurent Delahousse, Daphné Bürki, and Alexandre Boyon will provide live commentary throughout the ceremony. Additionally, a special program dedicated to the pre-ceremony events will start at 5:30pm. For viewers preferring to stream the event, the France.TV platform and the France Télévisions app (available on iOS and Android) will provide live streaming options. However, users must create an account beforehand. The replay of the Opening Ceremony will be available from 1am on Saturday, 27 July.

Where to Watch the Olympics 2024 Live in Portugal

In Portugal, RTP will be broadcasting the Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies on RTP1. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 6:30pm on 19 July, and the Closing Ceremony will take place at 6:00pm on 11 August at the Stade de France. Additionally, RTP2 and RTP Play will offer between 12 to 14 hours of daily Olympics coverage, showcasing various sports and the participation of national athletes.

RTP3 will focus on providing continuous news updates, interviews with national athletes, and daily summaries of the Olympic events. The news channel will also feature live interviews with athletes after their competitions. Moreover, all cable operators in Portugal will offer Eurosport channels, which will expand their coverage with additional temporary channels dedicated to specific sports. This extensive coverage ensures that Portuguese viewers can follow their favorite sports and athletes throughout the Games.

Where to Watch the Olympics 2024 Live in Spain

Spanish viewers can watch the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony on RTVE’s channels La 1, La 2, and Teledeporte, as well as via streaming on RTVE Play. The ceremony will begin at 6:30pm, with commentary provided by Marcos López, Julia Luna, and Ernest Riveras. Additionally, on-ground coverage will be delivered by Ana Ibáñez, Lara Gandarillas, and Nico de Vicente from key points along the route.

For those with access to paid services, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max will broadcast the event live on Eurosport, starting at 6:00pm. Eurosport will provide comprehensive coverage of the entire competition, offering viewers the opportunity to watch every minute, medal, and moment of the Olympic events in Spain.

Where to Watch the Olympics 2024 Live in Italy

In Italy, the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics will be broadcast live and free on RAI. The ceremony, which starts at 7:30pm and is expected to last approximately four hours, will also be available for streaming on Rai Play. Eurosport, accessible via Sky, will also broadcast the event, with additional streaming options available on Discovery+, Sky Go, Now TV, Dazn, and TimVision.

Paris 2024 Olympics will feature 329 gold medals across various sports, with the first gold medal being awarded on Saturday, July 27th. The closing ceremony is scheduled to take place on August 11, bringing an end to what promises to be a memorable Olympic Games.