Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony Time 2016: TV Schedule and Live Stream for Event
The 2016 Rio Olympics are almost upon us, and Brazil's capital will officially open its doors on Friday evening for the opening ceremony of this summer's blockbuster event.
Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium will welcome almost 80,000 attendees to the start of the first-ever Olympic Games to be held on South American soil, with the world watching in anticipation of what Brazil has to offer.
According to the official NBC Olympics website, the broadcaster will offer "an unprecedented 6,755 hours of programming for the Games," while the BBC will provide television and live-stream viewing to the United Kingdom.
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Read on for a breakdown of the opening ceremony's official start date and time, as well as information on how you can tune into the action from the Maracana Stadium.
Date: Friday, August 5
Time: 8 p.m. BRT/7 p.m. ET/12 a.m. BST (Sat. August 6)
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (US), BBC iPlayer (UK)
TV Info: NBC (US, one-hour delay), BBC (UK)
Big Names for the Big Stage
As is only befitting of the spectacle, Brazil is primed to welcome a throng of celebrities over the next two weeks, and nowhere will the A-list be more visible than at the opening ceremony.
With that in mind, some of the acts who were confirmed to perform as early as mid-July include artists Anitta, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, per Billboard Latin:
It's not just musical talent that's set to take the stage in Rio de Janeiro, however, as Brazilian fashion model and actress Gisele Bundchen will also appear, per the Hollywood Reporter:
The Games promise to be a veritable who's who of the sport world and beyond, but the opening ceremony will provide onlookers with an insight as to who'll be attending this summer's event.
Heavy Expectations Await
Despite the positive vibes emanating from the Games on the dawn of its arrival, it's well-documented that there has been more than a hint of controversy surrounding the Games.
Jonathan Watts and Bruce Douglas of the Guardian reported Brazil has been "desperate for an uplift," and the opening ceremony could be the first clear indicator as to whether that vision is set to come to fruition.
At the very least, Brazil officials have been working for the past month to ensure security is at its tightest for the opening ceremony, and NTV Kenya reported in mid-July that drills were being undertaken to prevent any incident:
That said, Brazil will now have its chance to put all such distractions to one side, at least for the time being, in the hope that the rest of the world will embrace its culture.
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