NBC Sports has partnered with the military’s ShopMyExchange.com site to provide live streaming of Olympic events. All that’s required is to have ShopMyExchange.com account and a free account on NBCOlympics.com. If you’re active duty, reservist, National Guard, or veteran, you’re eligible for the ShopMyExchange account. That Exchange site substitutes for the television service provider on the NBC Olympics site.
I’ve been trying to get the thing to work but no luck. Have any other military types here tried this and had success?
I think I’ve figured it out. Yes, I’m on base but, no, I cannot use that connection as my Internet connection is provided through the on-base hotel. The hotel’s Internet account, of course, is a unit, not personal, account. If I were at someone’s home, say that of one of the embassy folks (they have family quarters on a “base within the base”) just down the road, I would be able to connect through that without a VPN.
So I used the AFN Now cellphone app when I wanted to see an event which wasn’t being shown on the Armed Forces Network’s two sports channels on the hotel’s cable TV line-up nor on any of the Korean sports channels.
When I get back to China next week, we’ll see how it plays out.
What an ordeal! Now the thing’s working with my VPN set for the US. I’m watching the curling contest between the US and ROK women’s teams.
ETA: I might as well put in a plug for the military exchange stores. ALL military veterans, not just active duty, current reserve component, or retired, are authorized shoppers for the online Exchange. This is a great benefit for you for a number of reasons. One is there is no sales tax. Another is once you go over a really low purchase limit, the delivery is free. And a third one is to go through the online Exchange’s specials section (I think it’s called the marketplace), you can get items at a special price the manufacturer provide for the military. I got a Dell desktop years ago through that.