It was difficult finding an easy-to-follow comprehensive guide on where and how to watch the Olympics in Australia, so Always Be Watching has assembled the following guide to all of the basic questions around how to watch the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
If you find this guide helpful, please be sure to send the link to this page to friends and family. The guide also has a section below for those who may not yet have gotten on board with streaming - it explains what the benefits are and how to do it. With so many Olympic events offered online this year, a lot of older, less tech-literate Australians will be curious about all of this extra coverage not broadcast on their TV. Hopefully this helps.
When are the Olympics this year
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics run this year from Fri, 23 July 2021 – Sun, 8 Aug 2021.
The Opening Ceremony airs on Friday at 9pm.
With the Olympics being held in Tokyo, it means that there is only an hour time difference here in Australia. Every event will be held live at a relatively convenient time for Aussie viewers (ie no waking up at 2am to watch the swimming).
(Just quietly...)
While the Olympic games start officially on Friday with the Opening Ceremony, there are a few events held earlier than that. The first actual Olympics coverage you will see on TV will be from 9:45am on Wednesday 21 July with an Australia vs Japan softball game. There is more coverage again on Wednesday and Thursday night ahead of the Opening Ceremony.
Where to watch the Olympics in Australia
Channel Seven will broadcast the Olympics across it's free-to-air broadcast TV channels - Channel 7, 7Two, and 7Mate. The Olympics will also be streamed for FREE via the Channel 7 app 7Plus.
The best experience you will have watching the Olympics is to do it via 7Plus. The streaming service will carry 43 channels of Olympics coverage, meaning you will never have to miss any event. These channels will all be broadcast in HD, giving you greater picture quality than you will get from most of the broadcast channel coverage.
Johanna Griggs and Luke Darcy will host the Olympics in the morning, following breakfast show Sunrise. Matt Shirvington and Edwina Bartholomew will host afternoons. Hamish McLachlan and Abbey Gelmi will host the evenings slot, following the 6pm news. And Andy Maher and Lisa Sthalekar will host a late night show titled Tokyo Shinya.
Bookmark these sites
These websites have some helpful information you will want at your fingertips throughout the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games:
- A comprehensive list of scheduled events (listed by AEST) - Read: The Roar
- Every Olympic athlete competing. Read: Olympics Australia
- Playbooks given to all Olympic participants on the rules and how to stay safe at the Olympics in Tokyo. Read: Olympics.com
Watch for new sports
This year there are four new sports that have been added to the Olympics: Karate, skateboarding, sport climbing (aka rock climbing), and surfing.
What do I need to know about using 7Plus
You can watch the Olympics via the 7Plus website, or via the 7Plus app.
The 7Plus app is available for your mobile Phone or tablet. It is available for both Apple and Android devices.
If you want to watch the Olympics streamed to your TV, the 7Plus app is available on the following devices: Apple TV, Telstra TV, Fetch TV, Android TV (found on newer Sony televisions), Samsung TV, LG TV, PS4, Sony Linux TV, and Freeview Plus.
7Plus is free to use, but you do need to sign-up to use the service. To sign-up, it will ask you for your email address, first name, last name, birth year, post code, and gender. You will also need to create a password.
If you are uncomfortable with giving over your information like that, Always Be Watching reminds you that it is always a smart idea to use a second email address (that isn't your personal email address) when giving away your personal information. You can get free email accounts from Google and Microsoft. You aren't required to use your real information when signing up either - you can sign up as John Smith if you are happier doing that.
How to stream the Olympics on your television
If you have never streamed video on your television before, it might sound very complicated. But, it's not that hard. You will need:
- An internet connection in your home with a data plan that gives you enough data to stream video. If you don't think you are on a plan that gives you enough data, this is a good reminder to contact your Internet provider to see if there is a better deal than the plan you are currently on. Aussie Broadband is a service that is well-priced and has great customer service over the phone.
- A device that will deliver the stream to your television. Most new TVs purchased in the past 5-10 years will have the ability to connect directly to the Internet. And most of those will either have 7Plus already installed or have it available to download through your TV's app store.
- If you need to buy a streaming device, your Internet service provider may have a device that you can buy or rent. Telstra has the Telstra TV, while other ISP's like Optus and Aussie Broadband offer Fetch TV. Give your ISP a call and they can help you buy and set one up. If you just want to buy a cheap and good alternative, my strong recommendation is to buy a Chromecast with Google TV. It is easy to plug in and use. It will give you access to all of the apps you will ever want, including 7Plus. And it comes with an easy-to-use remote control. They cost about $99.
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