The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, is set to be one of the most digitally accessible Olympic Games to date. As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to adapt to changing media consumption habits, YouTube has become an increasingly important distribution platform for Olympic content, especially in markets where traditional television viewership is declining or where younger, mobile-first audiences dominate.
At the last Olympic Games in Paris, the events were broadcast all over the world, including on livestreaming platforms. The result was a massive success, resulting in millions of hours watched for the event, and peak concurrent viewership in the millions. For many fans around the world, a key question ahead of the Games is simple: can I watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on YouTube, and which countries have official access? YouTube coverage of the Olympics is highly dependent on regional media rights agreements. As a result, availability varies significantly by country.
The Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games take place from February 6 to February 22, 2026, with the opening ceremony having already taken place at the Stadio San Siro in Milan. The Games are scheduled to feature 116 medal events across 16 disciplines, with a jam-packed scheduled of sports to keep viewers entertained across the coming weeks. Read below for where users can follow the action live, for free, on YouTube.
Where to watch the XXV Winter Olympic Games on YouTube
While the majority of Olympic broadcasting rights remain tied to traditional television networks, select territories will have access to official Olympic content directly on YouTube. Based on current media rights agreements, there are two two major international YouTube broadcasters involved.
Firstly, in Brazil, CazéTV holds exclusive rights to broadcast the Games on YouTube. The channel is constantly at the center of livestreamed sport for Brazilian viewers, and singlehandedly redefinding how major, global sports events are consumed in the country.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics live from Brazil
Also, YouTube-based broadcaster Age of Sport has secured YouTube broadcasting rights for many countries across the globe. Age of Sports secured rights for the 2026 Winter Olympics in these countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, East Timor, Laos, Turkmenistan, and Cambodia. The channel also offers replays, highlights, and VODS for viewers from other countries.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics live from Asia-Pacific
Throughout Latin America Latin America, Claro Sports is offering coverage across the entire region, except in Brazil and Cuba. The Mexican Youtube channel is offering live live broadcasts, special programming, analysis, summaries and and more for almost all Spanish-speakers on the contintent: one of the widest free coverage of the Olympics to date. Also, in Chile, the national Chilevisión account will broadcast its own extended coverage of the games.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics live from Latin America
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics live from Chile
In Ukraine, national broadcaster Suspilne will be covering the Olympic Games live. The channel hosts live broadcasts and commentary for the events, as well as dailly uploads where they break down recent results and summarise the events in a quick format. As a high-quality and dependable option for Ukrainians access the world, the Suspilne Sport channel has received of thousands of viewers for its streams.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics live from Ukraine
In these countries, YouTube viewers will be able to access official Olympic coverage, which may include live streams, delayed broadcasts, full-event replays, highlights, and short-form clips, depending on local rights conditions. Below, we’ll dive more into these two international powerhouses, as well as past viewership performance of the 2024 Paris Olympics in livestreaming.
YouTube channels offering 2026 Winter Olympics coverage
CazéTV: Brazil’s sports powerhouse on YouTube
CazéTV has emerged as one of the most influential sports broadcasting channels on YouTube. Founded by Brazilian journalist and streamer Casimiro Miguel, the channel blends professional sports coverage with creator-driven commentary, humor, and real-time audience interaction.
The rise of CazéTV began with football content but accelerated rapidly during the FIFA World Cup 2022, where the channel broke multiple records for digital sports viewership in Brazil. Its success demonstrated that creator-led broadcasts could rival, and in some cases surpass, traditional television networks in reach and engagement.
The day prior to the official opening ceremony, Cazé already reached just under 60,000 peak concurrent viewers. As the event has picked up steam, viewership for Brazilian audiences has only increased. Keep an eye on the live-updating viewership statistics with a Streams Charts PRO subscription, letting users keep their fingers on the pulse of the livestreaming industry.
During last time’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games, CazéTV delivered one of the strongest digital performances of the entire event. Live broadcasts of Brazilian athletes attracted massive concurrent audiences, while the channel’s interactive style generated sustained engagement throughout the Games. CazéTV’s Olympic coverage benefited from several factors: a strong emotional connection to national athletes, accessible presentation tailored to younger viewers, and a format optimized for YouTube consumption. As a result, the channel recorded exceptional Hours Watched across the Olympic schedule, making it one of the most impactful digital Olympic broadcasters globally.
Following the success of Paris 2024, the IOC extended its partnership with CazéTV, confirming the channel as Brazil’s official YouTube broadcaster for the Olympic Games through 2028. This agreement includes the 2026 Winter Olympics and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. For Brazilian viewers, this means continued access to Olympic content directly on YouTube, including live competitions, highlights, replays, and behind-the-scenes coverage. The deal represents a landmark moment for creator-led sports broadcasting, positioning CazéTV as a long-term digital partner for the Olympic movement.
Age of Sports: expanding Olympic access
While CazéTV dominates the Brazilian market, Age of Sports plays a different but equally important role in Olympic YouTube distribution. Acting as an official media rights holder, the channel provides Olympic coverage across a wide range of Asian and Central Asian countries. Its coverage strategy emphasizes official live streams where permitted, complemented by VODs, full replays, and highlight packages designed to reach audiences in diverse linguistic and cultural markets.
Age of Sports holds YouTube broadcasting rights for the Olympic Games in the following countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, East Timor, Laos, Turkmenistan, and Cambodia. In these regions, Age of Sports serves as an official digital gateway to the Olympics, particularly in markets where traditional broadcasters may offer limited coverage or where YouTube serves as a primary video platform.
Depending on local rights structures, Age of Sports provides different types of Olympic content. In some countries, live event streams are available directly on YouTube. In others, the channel focuses on delayed broadcasts, full-match replays, or curated highlights, ensuring that fans can still follow the Games even when live viewing is restricted. Age of Sports’ YouTube account also lists Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam as regions where they offer some Olympics content. .
This flexible approach allows Age of Sports to maximize reach while remaining compliant with regional broadcasting agreements. It also reflects the growing importance of on-demand viewing in modern sports consumption, something that was shown to be crucial at the last Olympic Games.
Claro Sports: widespread Latin American coverage
Claro Sports is one of the most influential sports broadcasters in Latin America, particularly when it comes to digital-first coverage. Launched in 2012 as part of América Móvil, Claro Sports was conceived specifically to serve Spanish-speaking audiences across the Americas with pan-regional sports content.
As part of an agreement reached last year with the IOC, América Móvil was broadcasting rights for the Olympics games across Central and South America. Through Claro Sports, the telecom giant will broadcasting the following Olympic editions: Milan–Cortina 2026, Los Angeles 2028, French Alps 2030, Brisbane 2032, as well as the Youth Olympic Games throughout.
Claro Sports has built a reputation for itself within the digital broadcasting scene in Latin America, and now, the broadcaster is poised to deliver Olympics coverage to millions for years to come.
Chilévision: Chile’s digital expansion
While Claro Sports is present throughout almost all of Latin America, Chilevisión is reinforcing its local presence. The broadcaster was the country’s official access for the 2024 Olympic Games, and following an announcement earlier this year, it will also broadcast the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as the ongoing 2026 Winter Games.
Chilévision’s coverage of the Olympics will be both available thorough open TV signal and digital platforms. While Chilevisión is not a digital-native broadcaster in the same sense as Claro Sports or CazéTV, its Olympic strategy reflects a broader shift among traditional TV networks in Latin America: using YouTube and livestreaming as distribution extensions, not replacements, to maintain relevance during global events like the Olympic Games.
Suspilne: Ukraine’s livestreaming option
The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine JSC, otherwise known as Suspilne, is the national broadcaster of Ukraine. As a public broadcaster, its mission aligns closely with the Olympic ideals of national representation, inclusivity, and public access.
In terms of livestreaming, Suspilne has increasingly relied on digital platforms, including YouTube, to reach both domestic audiences and the Ukrainian diaspora. The Суспільне Спорт (Suspilne Sport) YouTube channnel has been widely used by Ukrainian-speaking viewers to follow the Games. With tens of thousands of viewers tuning in for the live coverage, this makes the channel one of the most popular national broadcasting options in the digital landscape.
Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games in livestreaming
The last edition of the Olympics, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Games, enjoyed significant viewership through digital platforms. While television and radio remained dominant globally, livestreaming platforms — particularly YouTube — played a growing role in extending reach, engagement, and watch time, especially among younger demographics. Across the globe, millions and millions followed the Games through online livestreamings, showing the true power of the industry for traditional sporting events.
These trends directly influenced the IOC’s media strategy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, encouraging deeper partnerships with digital-native broadcasters capable of delivering both live reach and sustained engagement. Through partnerships with YouTube-native broadcasters, the Olympic Games are becoming more accessible to digital-first audiences than ever before.
For viewers in Brazil and select Asian markets, YouTube will serve as a primary platform for experiencing the 2026 Winter Olympics. As digital viewership continues to grow, these partnerships may serve as a blueprint for future Olympic broadcasting strategies well beyond 2026.
