The 2014 Winter Olympics have begun, and for the first time, viewers can watch the winter games live - so long as they are a cable or satellite subscriber.
There is a loophole for the most dedicated, which is the "temporary pass" that will allow unverified viewers 30 minutes of live streaming during the first visit, and five minutes a day after that, so plan wisely.
Missing from NBC's live coverage, however, is the Opening Ceremony.
"We want to put context to it, with the full pageantry it deserves," NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus told Variety.
Instead, the event will be broadcast from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EST - a window sure to attract more viewers than the middle of the day. Bob Costas, Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira will host along with the New Yorker's David Remnick.
"We are looking to maximize the viewing experience for our audience," Lazarus said.
The second best option? Following the athletes' accounts on social media.
Welcome to Opening Ceremony!! @Sochi2014 #GoTeamUSA pic.twitter.com/w1TvAydcvt
— Jamie Greubel (@JamieGreubel) February 7, 2014
Snowboarder Max Parrot tweets photo of Team Canada's outfit at today's Opening Ceremony. Do you like the outfit? pic.twitter.com/fF9yE6qXPP — CP24 (@CP24) February 7, 2014
Between terrorism threats and broken showers, doubts of whether or not Russia is ready have been flying all over the place. And they may be right: Already the Opening Ceremony has been marred by an embarrassing technical malfunction when the fifth ring in the Olympic's iconic symbol failed to appear.
In case you missed, the fifth ring malfunctioned during the Opening Ceremony https://t.co/m3NF1jDBA0 — BuzzFeed UK (@BuzzFeedUK) February 7, 2014
For a full listing of the events and times, click here.
