NBC slammed by viewers for delaying Olympic streams

28% fewer people tuned into NBC’s opening ceremony this year. Could tape delays be to blame?

Want to watch your favorite Olympic events online? ExpressVPN has a guide for that. Want to watch your favorite events live on TV? Eh…you may need to wait a bit.

While more global broadcasters are streaming this year’s Games than ever before, NBC in the U.S. takes the crown for the best all-around coverage.

Unfortunately, NBC has again received criticism for showing many events on a tape delay. In fact, U.S. residents on the West Coast have been forced to wait anywhere between one to three hours after an event occurs before they're able to watch it on TV.

We're only a few weeks away from the #Olympics in @London2012, who's ready? #TapeDelay pic.twitter.com/hTuwl1z7Ve

— NBC Delayed (@NBCDelayed) July 14, 2016

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems

So what’s the deal? In the age of social media and spoiler alerts, timely broadcasts are paramount.

Well, according to NBC’s Chief Marketing Officer John Miller…

“The people who watch the Olympics are not particularly sports fans. More women watch the Games than men, and for the women, they’re less interested in the result and more interested in the journey.”

Maybe that explains why NBC is waiting until primetime to show the bigger events. Well, that and viewer ratings.

Luckily, ExpressVPN has you covered.

Forget Tape Delays—Stream the Olympics Live Online

While NBC is offering more than 2,000 hours of TV coverage, they’re also offering a whopping 4,500 hours of online coverage—with up to 40 different live streams available at any given moment. This is the first time in Olympic history where nearly every event is available both on TV and online.

And while NBC may be waiting to air certain events, you can stream every Olympic event live when you use a VPN!

Check out the list of streaming options below!

*Please note that some sites may require a login and/or verification before streaming!

U.S. coverage: NBC
U.K. coverage: BBC Sport
Canadian coverage: CBC
Australian coverage: Seven Network
French coverage: France TV Sport
German coverage: ZDF
Austrian coverage: ORF
Brazilian coverage: Rede Globo
Spanish coverage: RTVE
New Zealand coverage: Sky Television

You can also view select events live on the official channel.

Who’s Bringing Home the Most Gold Medals?

ExpressVPN’s running an office bet on which country takes home the most gold. Do you think team USA will win more medals this year? What about China? And we can’t forget about all the controversy surrounding Russia.

Leave your predictions below.

And, as always, happy VPNing!