Photo by Elsa/Getty Images Three-time world champion Nathan Chen looks to bring home the gold this week in Beijing.
All eyes will be on Capitol Indoor Stadium this week for one of the marquee events of the Beijing Olympics – the men’s figure skating competition. The weight of the sport and of a nation will be on American Nathan Chen, who will attempt to bring home the first individual figure skating gold medal for the U.S. since 2010.
The short program (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET start time) and the free skate (Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. ET) will both be televised live on USA Network. You can also watch dedicated coverage of the entire event and every other Olympic event live with the Peacock TV Premium Plan (no cable necessary) or on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app (streaming service or cable log-in required).
Here’s a complete rundown of all the different ways you can watch men’s figure skating live online if you don’t have cable:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of USA, CNBC, NBC and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch men’s figure skating live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch the entire event live or on-demand on the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch via the NBC platforms, but you can do that with your FuboTV credentials.
Peacock TV
Unlike the Summer Olympics, which only had a few events live on Peacock, you can watch a live stream of every single Winter Olympics event with a subscription to Peacock’s Premium Plan, which costs $4.99 per month:
It’s worth noting that you’ll also be able to watch next week’s (Feb. 13) Super Bowl with the Peacock Premium Plan.
Once signed up for Peacock, you can watch men’s figure skating live on the Peacock app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Peacock TV website.
If you can’t watch live, you can also watch a replay of any event soon after its conclusion.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” USA, CNBC and NBC are included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch men’s figure skating live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live or on-demand on the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch via the NBC platforms, but you can do that with your DirecTV Stream credentials.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of USA, NBC and 45-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” package, while CNBC is in the “News Extra” add-on. Both can be included in your free three-day trial:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch men’s figure skating live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live or on-demand on the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch via the NBC platforms, but you can do that with your Sling credentials.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of USA, CNBC, NBC and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes both ESPN+ and Disney+ as part of their special bundle:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch men’s figure skating live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live or on-demand on the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch via the NBC platforms, but you can do that with your Hulu credentials.
Olympic Men’s Figure Skating Preview
One of the faces of Team USA for the Beijing Olympics will get his moment to shine on figure skating’s biggest stage this week, as three-time world champion Nathan Chen takes to the ice for the men’s competition.
The event, which is broken down into two skates, will begin on Monday night with the short program (8:15 p.m. ET start time) and conclude with the free skate on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET).
The 22-year-old Chen will be looking to dethrone the two-time reigning Olympic champion, Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, who became the first male figure skater in 66 years to win two straight Olympic titles with his gold medal-winning performance in PyeongChang in 2018.
Chen was one of the favorites going into that competition four years ago but had one of the worst short programs of his career that landed him in 17th after the first night. The Salt Lake City native bounced back two days later to win the free skate with a masterful program that led him to a fifth-place overall finish. The performance was historic for Chen, who became the first skater to land six quad jumps in a free skate at an Olympics.
Since that deflating short program in PyeongChang, Chen has taken the sport by storm, becoming the most dominating male figure skater in the world. His resume speaks for itself, with gold medals at the world championships in 2018, 2019, and 2021, in addition to his ongoing streak of six straight U.S. national titles.
Chen comes into Beijing as the favorite in the men’s competition, but this time with the confidence and perspective to reach the top of the podium.
“At the end of the day, you know, I’m doing this sport because I love it and not because I’m here because I have to win,” said Chen. “And, of course, that’s my goal as an athlete. I want to say, ‘Well, I want to have opportunities to win,’ but I really do it because I enjoy what I do.
“I think when you have that perspective, it really allows you to switch away from the narrative of being like, ‘Oh my God, this is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’ I think continuing to have that perspective just generally makes me more at ease with what I do and allows me to do whatever I do on the ice without regret.”
Chen got his Beijing Games off to a phenomenal start last Thursday when he set a new personal best score in the short program during the team competition. The performance boosted the U.S. to the top of the standings on night one; they’d go on to take home a silver medal in the event on Sunday.
Hanyu will be shooting to become only the second male figure skater to win three straight Olympic gold medals. The 27-year-old is expected to attempt a quadruple axel during his program this week (a move that has yet to be landed by anyone in competition).
Also representing the U.S. in the men’s competition will be Jason Brown, who is back for his second Olympics after having competed in the 2014 Sochi Games where he finished ninth in the individual event.
American skater Vincent Zhou, who finished sixth at the 2018 Olympics, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and was forced to withdraw from the competition.