For many people in Austria, the Winter Olympics are a two-week excuse to keep one eye on the slopes, even on workdays.
Milano Cortina 2026 runs from February 6th to 22nd, with events spread across a series of venues in northern Italy rather than a single host city. Austria is sending a sizeable team. The nominated Olympic delegation for Milano Cortina 2026 is 115 athletes (52 women and 63 men).
For viewers in Austria, there are two main ways to follow the Games live: free-to-air coverage via ORF, or paid services if you want broader live streams across more sports and sessions.
Watching on TV and via ORF ON
ORF has announced extensive daily live programming for the Games across its channels, with streaming and on-demand available through ORF ON.
For most households, the practical “cost” is the household broadcasting contribution. The base rate is €15.30 per month, with an additional state levy depending on the Bundesland. ORF has also noted that some online content is geo-restricted, which matters if you are trying to stream while outside Austria.
For many viewers, this will be the most straightforward option. You can watch live coverage on TV, then use ORF ON for catch-up and on-the-go viewing.
Streaming options if you want more live coverage
If you want the closest thing to “every event, every heat”, you will likely need a paid streaming or pay-TV option alongside (or instead of) free-to-air viewing.
One route is Eurosport via Austrian pay-TV packages that include its linear channels. This is a common option for people who want deeper multi-sport coverage across the day, rather than relying on a single broadcaster’s main live picks.
Another option is streaming through HBO Max, which is positioned as a full-event streaming choice across Europe. Pricing for Austria starts from €5.99 per month (ad-supported), with a separate sports package for €3 per month, depending on the plan.
If you prefer a “live TV in one app” set-up, Joyn can function as a streaming hub in Austria. It offers Joyn Free and Joyn Plus+ (€6.99 per month). Its live-TV line-up in Austria includes channels such as ORF SPORT+ and Eurosport 1, which can make it a convenient way to combine coverage if the channels you want are included in your plan.
Even if you are watching the events elsewhere, the official Olympics website and app are a useful companion for schedules, results and session information.
Where to watch on a big screen in Austria
If you would rather follow the Games in public, several organisers have already announced Winter Olympics screenings in Austria.
Villach has a dedicated “Winter Public Viewing” tent on Hans-Gasser-Platz running through the Games period, with long daily opening hours and free entry.
Graz has a shopping centre “TV lounge” screening set-up in MURPARK, designed for people who want to watch during opening hours in an indoor setting.
Vienna has an XXL-screen public viewing in the 12th district with specific scheduled screenings for major alpine events and the men’s ice hockey final. It is advertised as “Freies Public Viewing”, with food and drink available on-site.
Did we miss your favourite viewing spot? Let us know in the comments below.
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