How to Watch Figure Skating on TV or Online
How to Watch Figure Skating on TV or Online
This guide is only a general overview of how to watch figure skating. We will post more specific information before each competition. Make sure you check out our blog to keep up with our weekly info posts!
Note: This post is based on past experience in watching skating online; however, information provided here is not a guarantee of broadcast/streaming status in the future.
See also: Overview of Skating Competitions, Figure Skating Event Calendar, more skating intro guides
LAST UPDATED: Aug. 22, 2024
JUNIOR GRAND PRIX SERIES
All Junior Grand Prix competitions are livestreamed and archived for free on the Skating ISU Youtube channel. Seasons before 2024 are on the ISU Junior Grand Prix Youtube channel.
CHALLENGER SERIES AND B COMPETITIONS
Challenger Series and B competitions are not usually aired on TV, but several of them provide online streams via the host federation or competition organizers. Some streams are free of charge, some require a fee. Since these are small competitions, the quality of the streams may vary. Streams from CS/B competitions are not always archived. However, skating fans sometimes record and upload videos to Youtube.
MAJOR COMPETITIONS: GRAND PRIX SERIES, ISU CHAMPIONSHIPS, OLYMPICS
Major competitions such as the Grand Prix Series, Four Continents Championships, European Championships, World Championships, and Winter Olympics are aired on various TV channels around the world. Online streaming is available through both official and unofficial means. We will provide links to streams that we can find on the internet, but please be aware that free streaming sites may have ads/popups and streams may be of poor quality.
Most official streaming options require a fee and are blocked outside of their respective countries. The official Skating ISU Youtube livestreams several major competitions for free, but streams are only available in countries that have not purchased broadcasting rights to a competition. If you wish to access a stream, consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
Here are a few common ways to watch major skating events around the world:
USA: NBC owns the rights to all major skating competitions. Short, delayed recaps are aired on NBC. Subscribers to Peacock Premium can stream most major skating competition, as well as some US domestic events. Peacock Premium is only available in the USA and replays are only available for a limited time.
Canada: CBC owns the rights to major international events. Competitions can be streamed live for free on the CBC website; the streams are usually blocked outside of Canada. CBC may also air recaps of competitions on TV.
Europe: Eurosport will sometimes air skating competitions, not always live.
Japan: Japanese broadcasting rights for skating events are spread throughout several TV channels.
NHK Trophy: NHK and related channels
ISU Championships: Fuji TV and related channels
Grand Prix Series (besides NHK Trophy): TV Asahi and related channels
World Team Trophy: TV Asahi and related channels
Olympics: NHK and related channels
China: CCTV 5/5+ sometimes air skating competitions, not always live.
South Korea: International competitions are usually aired on SBS Sports.
On demand: The Skating ISU Youtube archives their livestreams, but videos may be geoblocked. Videos from TV broadcasts may also be uploaded to Youtube by fans.
There are other options for watching skating competitions in other countries; we have listed some of the most common ways to watch. The ISU will publish the broadcasters that hold the rights to a competition before the event takes place. Keep an eye on their Twitter/website for news.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Japan: Fuji TV owns the rights to the Japanese National Championships. Subscribers to Fuji on Demand can stream the entire competition live (a VPN is required outside of Japan). Videos from Japanese Nationals are sometimes uploaded to Youtube by fans.
USA: The US National Championships is aired on NBC and related channels. Subscribers in the USA with Peacock Premium can stream both the junior and senior competitions.
Canada: The Canadian National Championships is usually streamed on Skate Canada's Dailymotion channel and sometimes by CBC.
South Korea: The Korean Skating Union usually streams their major national competitions live on Youtube.
Other: Other national championships may be aired on TV, streamed by the federation, or have no footage at all besides fancams. Keep an eye on our blog or Twitter for more information on how to watch.