The BBC is turning February into one big Winter Olympics binge

If you were looking for a solid excuse to ignore emails, cancel plans and develop strong opinions about niche winter sports, the BBC has you covered.

The broadcaster has confirmed it will show more than 450 hours of live action from next month’s Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, making these the most accessible Games for UK viewers in over two decades.

Running from Friday, the 6th, to Sunday, the 22nd of February, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be broadcast across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Sport’s digital platforms, with wall-to-wall coverage designed for everyone from casual viewers to full-blown Olympic enthusiasts.

BBC Sport will offer two live daytime streams from Italy, meaning you won’t have to choose between, say, skeleton and speed skating (unless you want to). Alongside that, there’ll be rolling highlights, clips and live text updates across the BBC Sport website, app and social channels, perfect for keeping one eye on the action while pretending to work.

For those who really want to commit, a second dedicated stream, Olympics Extra, will run from 8am to 11pm daily via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, showing even more live events and medal moments. In short, if it’s happening on snow or ice, the BBC probably has it covered.

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Television coverage will be anchored from the BBC’s studio in Cortina, with Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine and Jeanette Kwakye leading presentation duties across BBC One and Two from 9am through to 10pm each day. Expect calm authority, encyclopaedic knowledge and the reassuring sense that everything is under control, even when someone is flying down a mountain at alarming speed. Before the month is up, you can pretend you're an expert on more than just Cool Runnings.

Expert analysis will come from a strong line-up of former Olympians, including Lizzy Yarnold, Vicky Wright and Montell Douglas, bringing insight from people who have actually been there, done it and slid down things far faster than most of us ever will.

BBC Sport’s Director Alex Kay-Jelski said the Winter Olympics showcase the world’s most elite winter athletes pushing the limits of speed and precision, and the broadcaster is clearly treating Milan-Cortina as a major sporting moment. With extensive live coverage, familiar faces and multiple ways to watch, the Games are set to dominate the schedules.

As for Team GB, expectations are cautiously optimistic. UK Sport is targeting between four and eight medals, with British athletes competing across a wide range of disciplines, and plenty of chances for unexpected heroes to emerge.

So whether you’re tuning in for the marquee events or accidentally falling in love with something obscure halfway through a lunch break, the BBC’s Winter Olympics coverage looks set to turn February into a very snowy, very watchable affair.

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