Sochi 2014: The best ways to follow the Winter Olympics on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

When to Watch

Olympic broadcasts kick off in the U.S. at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on Friday with a time-delayed showing of the games' opening ceremonies. As in past years, matches will be aired at varying times throughout the remainder of the games.

NBC Sports provides an excellent online programming guide for American viewers, while CBC covers Canada and the BBC maintains a similar listing for those in the U.K. Fans in other countries should consult the official Sochi 2014 schedule.

How to Watch

Those living in the United States, Canada, and many European nations can stream the games live either through the web or on native apps compatible with Apple's mobile platform.

On the Mac:

• U.S.: NBCOlympics.com
• Canada: olympics.CBC.ca
• U.K.: BBC.com
• Others: consult the official Sochi 2014 TV Guide.

On iOS

• U.S.: NBC Sports Live Extra
• Canada: CBC Olympics
• U.K.: BBC Sport
• Others: consult the official Sochi 2014 TV Guide.

Note: U.S. users will need to be a cable television subscriber and have their login details handy to stream through NBC's iOS apps, but the network does offer limited-time free streaming options.

Stats and Highlghts

All of the networks offering television coverage also plan to provide coresponding access to stats and highlights through their websites and iOS apps. Users without streaming access can still follow along via those channels, but the App Store also offers several excellent alternatives.

• NBC Olympics Highlights and Results: A free, universal app that provides stats, news, and video highlights.
• The Olympics Official App: A free, universal app that provides stat and news.
• ESPN Sportscenter: A free, iPhone-only app that provides push notifications, stats, news, and video highlights.
• theScore Mobile: A free, universal app that provides push notifications, stats, and news.
• Yahoo Sports: A free, universal app that provides push notifications, stats, and news.

For more options, Apple provides a full listing of apps featuring Olympics coverage in a special Sochi 2014 section of the App Store.