Here’s How Most Veterans Can Watch the Olympics for Free

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Sgt. Emily Sweeney qualified for her first Olympics after not making the 2010 and 2014 teams. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennily Leon)

All honorably discharged veterans can stream the Winter Olympics for free thanks to the partnership between NBC, the Exchange service, and a benefit rolled out last year that gives veterans of all eras online Exchange shopping access.

The over 2,400 hours of streaming kicks-off today, with the official opening ceremonies scheduled for Feb. 9, according to a release. Users will be able to stream coverage from their computers, tablets or smartphones by visiting NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app.

From there, users should choose "Exchange" from the list of providers, and then log in using their ShopMyExchange log-in details.

Thanks to the new veteran shopping benefit introduced late last year, users no longer have to be active duty, Guard or Reserve or retirees to use the benefit, Exchange officials confirmed today.

About 13 million veterans qualify for the new benefit.

All honorably discharged veterans of every era regardless of time in service can gain access to the Exchange website by visiting VetVerify.org, registering for Exchange use and then signing-up for a ShopMyExchange account.

While the free streaming is available anywhere stateside, users must be on a U.S. base overseas with Internet service from an Exchange-contracted or other authorized provider that has been previously whitelisted with NBC, officials said. No mobile or cell phone access will be available in those locations. The service is also not available on U.S. Navy ships.

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