The opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics – the Games of the XXXI Olympiad – is set for Friday night in Rio de Janeiro. The sports world will fix its eyes on Brazil from Friday night through the Games' conclusion on August 21, as many of the world's best athletes compete in a range of world-class competitions.
NBC will broadcast the ceremony in the United States on a one-hour time delay for the Eastern and Central time zones. The ceremony starts at 7 p.m. ET, with Rio an hour ahead of the American East Coast. NBC starts its coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET and will broadcast the show at 8 p.m. on a one-hour delay, with the network seeking to provide context behind what figures to be an elaborate presentation from event organizers. The Mountain time broadcast is set for 6:30 p.m. MT, and the West Coast can watch at 7:30 p.m. PT. Links can be found below.
The setup for these Olympics has been a logistical mess. Brazil impeached its president this year, has been stuck in political turmoil and much of the infrastructure required to host an Olympics isn't fully up to speed. But the opening ceremony is a chance for Rio 2016 to put its best foot forward with a show of international unity and pageantry that can make Brazil proud. It'll be among the most-watched events put on at these Games. Many of the planet's best sportsmen and sportswomen will be there before they compete in sports ranging from basketball and soccer to fencing and archery.
That means lots of snippets from the ceremony at Rio's Maracanã Stadium will be circulating by the time American viewers actually get to see them on their television screens. NBC's streaming of the event will follow the same calendar.
Here's everything you need to know to watch Rio 2016's opening ceremony. All times are Eastern, meaning they're an hour behind the local starts as they're happening on the ground in Brazil:
2016 Rio Olympics opening ceremony coverage
Date: Friday, Aug. 5
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Streaming:
Eastern/Central time zones: Use this link at 7:30 p.m. ET
Mountain time zone: Use this link at 6:30 p.m. MT
Pacific time zone: Use this link at 7:30 p.m. PT
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