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The Winter Olympics aren’t going to be the easiest watch for Australians this year. With Milano Cortina 2026 unfolding across Europe, much of the action will take place while we’re all asleep or at work.
Events will overlap, finals will land at odd hours, and unless the coverage is set up properly, it’s easy to lose track. That’s the problem that broadcast rights-holders the Nine Network is trying to solve with its approach to these Games.
Australians can watch the Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026 across 9Now and Stan Sport, alongside Nine’s free-to-air coverage. Three platforms, three different ways to watch the Games.
Coverage begins on 4 February with the Let The Games Begin! preview show, before the Opening Ceremony on 7 February (AEDT) signals the start of 16 days of competition. Here’s how to watch:
Nine (free-to-air) is where most people will end up by default. It’s the easiest way to catch the big moments, with live, free coverage across 9HD and 9GemHD, focusing on Australian athletes, major medal moments, and the events most likely to cut through for casual viewers.
9Now is the practical option. Each morning, it becomes the go-to for overnight highlights, Australian results, and daily recap viewing. Viewers can catch short-form highlights, 9Now Stories, or sit down with Milan Encore, a daily highlights show produced by the Wide World of Sports team that rounds up each day’s action.
Stan Sport is the most complete option. Every sport. Every feed. Every medal event. Live and on demand, with every medal moment available in 4K Ultra HD.
Coverage spans all 16 disciplines and 116 events, with 15 dedicated sport channels, plus two feature and news channels delivering rolling updates, analysis, and highlights. Stan Sport will also simulcast Nine’s free-to-air coverage alongside its dedicated feeds.
For viewers who want deeper context, Stan Sport will again offer international broadcast feeds, including Eurosport’s Italian channels, UK coverage via Warner Bros. Discovery, and Sky New Zealand. It’s the place for full-length replays, multi-feed viewing, and a more global take on the Games.
Key Dates
- Let The Games Begin: Wednesday 4 February 2026
- Opening Ceremony: Saturday 7 February 2026 (Friday 6 February in Italy)
- Closing Ceremony: Monday 23 February 2026 (Sunday 22 February in Italy)
- Paralympic Winter Games: 6–15 March 2026
How Nine is Covering the Winter Olympics
Milano Cortina 2026 will be the biggest Winter Olympics on record, and Nine will be on the ground throughout.
The network’s Winter Olympic coverage will be anchored out of Livigno, an alpine village that will host a large share of Australia’s events. It’s where Nine’s Wide World of Sports hub will be based, supported by more than 200 producers, directors, camera operators, editors, and technical staff working across Italy and Australia.
On screen, Nine is leaning heavily on people who’ve been there before. Its expert lineup includes Australian Winter Olympic gold medalists Torah Bright, Lydia Lassila, and Steven Bradbury, alongside Olympians Britt Cox, Steph Prem (Hickey), and Jono Brauer.
The wider commentary team covers snowboarding, alpine skiing, and freestyle disciplines, with specialist callers across events like halfpipe, big air, slopestyle, downhill, and slalom. The full hosting and commentary lineup will be finalised closer to the Games.
Back home, Nine’s North Sydney studio will again use the augmented reality elements that were first rolled out during Paris 2024, which reached 19.5 million Australians over a two-week period.
Nine will also remain the exclusive Australian broadcaster of the Paralympic Winter Games, running from 6–15 March 2026, with live and on-demand coverage across its platforms.
Aussies to watch out for at the Winter Olympics
Australia is expected to send more than 50 athletes to Milano Cortina, spread across 11 disciplines, following its most successful Winter Olympics at Beijing 2022. The team will be led by Chef de Mission and former Olympic gold medalist Alisa Camplin.
And while Australians will always have a soft spot for a Bradbury-style moment, there are genuine medal chances across multiple sports this time around, giving casual viewers more reason to check in than novelty alone.
Among those medal chances are Jakara Anthony, who is looking for back-to-back gold in the moguls after his success in Beijing. Alongside Anthony are geniune medal chances are Charlotte Wilson, also in the moguls, Laura Peel and Danielle Scott in the aerial skiing, and Scotty James in the snowboard halfpipe. And of course, all eyes will be on Australia’s youngest competitor, 15-year-old freeskier Indra Brown.
For Australians, winter sport will probably always feel a little distant. We’re a country more familiar with heatwaves, bushfires, and watching sport in thongs than icy mornings in the Alps.
Nine isn’t trying to fight that. Its Winter Olympics coverage is built to sit comfortably in the background. Easy to find. Easy to follow. There for all the big moments. You don’t need to plan your life around the Games. You just need them to be on when you feel like watching.
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