Best package(s) for 2016 Olympics

[stvcmty]

With DIRECTV what will be the best package for watching the 2016 Olympics?

The American channel coverage of previous summer games has been poor in my opinion. Events are not shown live, events are massively time shifted to put content that the station thinks will be popular in prime time. Sports I enjoy some times are not even aired, when sports I couldn’t care less about get screen time.

On DIRECTV will there be English language channels added or repurposed to actually show the games in a timely way? Will any of the non-English packages have coverage from other countries networks that is more real time or shows more events? What package(s) would be required to get the best coverage possible? (It would be nice if I can get the Olympics without internet streaming.)

 

[Joe The Dragon]

nbc olympic soccer channel and nbc olympic basketball channel should come back.

 

[ejb1980]

In the past, Telemundo has shown USA events in Spanish. They often show different events than the English channels, too. If you don't have a local affiliate, you will need the 5 LNB set up to see the 119 satellite to get the Telemundo national feeds in glorious SD. That will require the en Español add-on package. I don't believe any other country is shown and if it was it'd be blacked out, one would assume. You might be able to get Telemundo with an antenna if you have a local affiliate not carried on Directv. Where do you live? (County, state is usually sufficient.)

As for time, Rio is in a USA friendly time zone so more live events SHOULD be live.

Only NBC Universal channels will show the events in the USA so a package with a local NBC, NBCSN, USA, MSNBC, etc is all you need. Channels 205 and 600 will show channels with Olympic coverage and on the mosaic, you can watch channels that are not in your package (note: on that mix channel only). There is an actually useful pop-up for more information and schedule on the Olympic channels. That will appear just before it starts. Channel 1205 and Sports Search will probably have a category for Olympic coverage, too.

 

[JohnL]

If you really want to see the Olympics and not be subjected to hour upon hour of Athlete profiles in courage ad nasuem, then you and the rest of America needs to have access to the Canadian coverage, all sports all the time. Sadly this is not possible for US Third Party providers, Cable and satellite services, unless you live VERY NEAR the border to Canada. Then and only then do SOME Local Cable companies carry Canadian OTA broadcasts.

 

[stvcmty]

You might be able to get Telemundo with an antenna if you have a local affiliate not carried on Directv. Where do you live? (County, state is usually sufficient.)

I am in Fallston MD, out of range of WZDC-CD in DC.

 

[ejb1980]

If you really want to see the Olympics and not be subjected to hour upon hour of Athlete profiles in courage ad nasuem, then you and the rest of America needs to have access to the Canadian coverage, all sports all the time. Sadly this is not possible for US Third Party providers, Cable and satellite services, unless you live VERY NEAR the border to Canada. Then and only then do SOME Local Cable companies carry Canadian OTA broadcasts.

If the OP was close enough to Canada, I was going to suggest that. I am fortunate to get CBC Montreal OTA. They sadly seem to show less sports than I remember growing up but the picture quality of Hockey Canada in HD is absolutely stunning.

 

[texasbrit]

NBC owns the US rights to the 2016 Olympics so that pretty well condemns you to all the "social" garbage and not much of the events. My friend the other side of DFW works for a UK company with a VPN so he can get the BBC coverage. Even though that is worse than it used to be there's far more actual sports, and you don't just have to watch the events where the USA expects to get a medal. I am sure NBC has its entertainment group cover the Olympics instead of the sports department. It's pathetic.