Amidst controversies and lots of setbacks, the 2016 Olympics in Rio are in full swing. Athletes are competing for that top spot to represent their country. It seems that even if you’re not a fan of sports, the Olympics bring millions of viewers tuning in and getting together behind their country.
Now more than ever there are a number of ways to watch, go behind the scenes, and talk about the Olympics. Here are some great apps that’ll help you watch the Olympics or have an awesome second screen experience.
NBC Sports
NBC Sports gives you full access to the entire lineup of events happening at this summer’s Olympic Games. You can watch everything from boxing and basketball, to swimming and volleyball and lots more. If you have a cable subscription, you’ll be able to watch all the events live, and if you missed an event, you can catch up on replays and highlights.
- Free – Download
ESPN
If you’re not around a TV and just want to get a quick update of scores or who’s winning what medals, ESPN has dedicated a whole section of their app to the Olympics. They include a collection of great articles and social media posts around the games, and while you can’t watch any of the events on the app, you can watch replays from the Scores screen. ESPN has long been my go to app for sports scores, and is good to keep year round!
- Free – Download
BBC Sport
In the past I’ve used the BBC Sport app to get soccer news and get updates for sports that aren’t as popular in the U.S. With the 2016 games, the BBC Sport app has in depth live reporting on all the events, a table of all the top medal winners, and the ability to get notifications each time your team wins or gets a medal.
- Free – Download
NBC Olympics
The NBC Olympics app is the perfect companion to NBC Sports. You can’t view any live video here, but you can get lots of information about the games. Like other apps, you can be notified when your team wins, and you can find out who’s competing in each event, with bios for each athlete. There’s also lots of news, videos and a handy feature for US viewers that lets them see all the stats for Team USA.
- Free – Download
Rio 2016
The official app of this summer’s Games, Rio 2016 is a central hub for what’s going on each day at the games. With access to schedules and results, info on all the different countries and athletes, and the ability to customize the app to your liking, this app has a wealth of information. If you happen to be attending the games, there’s also a helpful map feature so you can see where all the different games are being held and other fun Olympic-centric events.
- Free – Download
Olympics – Official App
While Rio 2016 is the breakout app for just this summer’s games, the official Olympics app has information about every Olympic Games ever held! The app is jam packed full of history including mythology behind the games, mascots, backgrounds on Olympic cities, and even has a section to watch video of some of the old games. This app is also a great way to find out where to find the Olympics on social media.
- Free – Download
Just about every social network is getting in on the Olympic Games action, from Facebook and Snapchat to YouTube (featuring some pretty impressive 360 videos). Twitter is featuring lots of Olympic coverage on their official app in the Moments tab. You can interact with people around the globe about the games, and Twitter has rolled out lots of custom emoji to represent your favorite event or country.
- Free – Download
What sports are you watching at this year’s Olympics?
The Olympics are always an exciting time for sports fans and casual watchers each time they air. With so many apps, it’s easy to find out how your country is doing. What’s your favorite event at this year’s Olympics? Let me know in the comments section below!
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