Where to Watch the Milan Winter Olympics "Gold Races" as Terrestrial Broadcasters Step Away

Exclusive JTBC Coverage of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics
Bae Sungjae and Bae Giwan to Host, with Yun Sungbin, Kwak Yoon-gy, Lee Seung-hoon and Others Providing Commentary
Ice Stars Choi Minjeong and Cha Junhwan, and Snowboarder Lee Chaeun Lead the Medal Hunt

Olympic rings sculpture near the square in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, ahead of the opening of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Yonhap News

The 25th Winter Olympics will kick off on the 5th (Korean time) in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. At this Games, 3,500 athletes from 93 countries will compete for 116 gold medals across 16 events. Korea is sending 71 athletes in 12 events to go on a medal hunt.

In a rare move in broadcasting history, this Games will be broadcast live exclusively by the general programming channel JoongAng Tongyang Broadcasting Company (JTBC), rather than the three terrestrial networks. It is the first Olympics since JTBC acquired the broadcasting rights from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019 through 2032. JTBC continued negotiations with the three terrestrial networks until the last minute to resell the rights, but the talks ultimately broke down as they failed to narrow the price gap. As a result, the terrestrial network-centered system of "universal viewing rights," which had been maintained since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, has been broken, and JTBC has taken the gamble of the first-ever exclusive broadcast in history.

To avoid repeating the mistakes of being criticized for a lack of expertise during its exclusive World Baseball Classic (WBC) coverage 13 years ago, JTBC has recruited a large number of star-level commentators and anchors. Caster Bae Sungjae will cover short track and speed skating, caster Sung Seunghun will cover curling, and caster Jung Yonggeom will handle the snowboard events. Anchor Bae Giwan will be in charge of figure skating. Olympic heroes such as Kim Alang, Kwak Yoon-gy, Lee Seung-hoon, Yun Sungbin, and Kim Eunjung will take the microphone as commentators.

Short track, the core of Korea's medal race, will begin its quest for gold with the women's 500m heats at 6:00 p.m. on the 10th. The 1,500m race of Choi Minjeong, who is aiming for a third consecutive gold medal, will be broadcast at 3:00 a.m. on the 21st. Speed skating coverage will begin with the men's 5,000m at midnight on the 8th. Korean speed skating, with Park Jiwoo, Chung Jae-won, Cho Seungmin, and Lim Riwon taking to the ice, will attempt to reclaim the top spot for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. This will be followed by the women's 1,000m at 1:30 a.m. on the 10th, the women's 500m final at 1:00 a.m. on the 16th, and the women's 1,500m at 12:30 a.m. on the 20th. The men's and women's mass start races at 11:00 p.m. on the 21st will bring the long journey to a close.

Promotional video for Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Provided by JoongAng Tongyang Broadcasting Company.

Figure skating, the flower of the ice rink, will also shine on the Olympic stage. Star skaters such as Cha Junhwan, Kim Hyungyeom, Lee Haein, and Shin Jia will go on a medal hunt. The men's short program will start at 2:10 a.m. on the 11th, followed by the free skating at 3:00 a.m. on the 14th, the women's short program at 2:30 a.m. on the 18th, and the free skating at 3:00 a.m. on the 20th. The gala show, which will serve as the finale of the Games, will be broadcast at 4:00 a.m. on the 22nd.

The Korean delegation has sought to transform itself by raising medal expectations not only in its traditional ice events but also in snow events. In particular, snowboard halfpipe riders Lee Chaeun and Choi Gaon are taking aim at Korea's first-ever snow event medal, seeking to break through the dominance of the United States and Japan. Lee Chaeun will compete in the heats at 3:30 a.m. on the 12th and then in the final at 3:30 a.m. on the 14th. Choi Gaon will take on the challenge for a medal in the final at 3:30 a.m. on the 13th after the heats at 6:00 p.m. on the 11th. The final race of Lee Sangho, who won the snowboard World Cup parallel giant slalom just before the opening of the Olympics, will take place at 8:50 p.m. on the 8th.

The opening ceremony will be reported live from the venue at 3:30 a.m. on the 7th by caster Bae Sungjae and Italy expert Professor Koo Jihoon. The closing ceremony will be held at 4:00 a.m. on the 23rd at the Verona Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater in Verona, bringing down the curtain on the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in spectacular fashion.