Olympics Opening Ceremony Time 2018: Recap, When to Watch Replay

The 2018 Winter Olympics are well and truly underway after Friday's opening ceremony marked the unofficial beginning of this year's sport showcase in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Athletes from dozens of participating countries were out in force at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium and braved frosty conditions to make their arrival at the competition's entertainment-packed curtain-raiser.

The Parade of Nations and a selection of artistic and cultural demonstrations followed the South Korean national anthem before the ceremony reached its climax with the lighting of the Olympic flame.

For those who missed the ceremony live, NBC will broadcast a replay at 8 p.m. ET on Friday evening, per People magazine, while UK audiences can tune into highlights via the BBC red button at 7 p.m. GMT.

Viewers can also watch a replay of the opening ceremony via Eurosport Player.

Read on for a breakdown of the highlights from the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony as South Korea celebrated the start of one of this year's major sporting events in style.

Recap

Among the most highly anticipated moments witnessed at Friday's opening ceremony was the coming together of hosts South Korea and their border neighbours North Korea.

Motoko Rich reported for the New York Times that their unification under a sole flag for the purpose of the Winter Games offered "hope for peace" as BBC Sport captured a moment of history unfolding in Pyeongchang:

Competition organisers also played heavily on the theme of technology and the input it had on the opening ceremony, demonstrating South Korea to be something of a leading power in the field.

German outlet DW Sports provided a time-lapse video of the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium going through its different colour shifts through the ceremony, complete with entertainment outside the venue:

WIRED magazine also pointed to the display conjured by more than 1,200 flying drones to light up the South Korea sky with the Olympic rings logo:

Bobsleigher Won Yun-jong of South Korea and North Korean ice hockey star Hwang Chung Gum led out the unified Korea team as flag bearers.

They weren't the only athletes to court attention, either, as Tonga's sole representative, cross-country skier Pita Taufatofua, made his debut at the Winter Olympics following his fame at the Rio 2016 Olympics, per NBC Olympics:

The contingent of Olympic Athletes from Russia were also in attendance and marched out led by a volunteer from the International Olympics Committee ahead of what promises to be an intriguing participation at the Winter Olympics.