Gray Media and Atlanta Hawks Bring Hawks Basketball to Millions with Free Expansive, Georgia-Wide Broadcast Partnership for 2026–27 NBA Season
ATLANTA, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gray Media and the Atlanta Hawks today announced a landmark broadcast partnership that will bring all non-nationally televised Atlanta Hawks regular season games to Gray Media's Atlanta broadcast television station WANF (Atlanta News First) and Peachtree Sports Network during the 2026–27 NBA season. The agreement makes WANF the official broadcast partner of the franchise and represents the most accessible broadcast television commitment for Hawks Basketball with each available game being broadcast for free over the air.
Fans across the Atlanta market can watch Hawks games on WANF's free over-the-air signal, as well as through WANF's carriage on major pay-TV systems including Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV, and DISH Network. WANF is also available on YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo. Gray Media stations in Albany (WALB), Augusta (WRDW), Columbus (WTVM), Macon (WPGA), and Savannah (WTOC) will also carry games on their local stations.
"This partnership is a reflection of what Gray Media does best — serving our communities with the content they care about most," said Hilton H. Howell, Chairman and CEO of Gray Media. "Atlanta is one of the premier sports cities in the country, and we are proud to give Hawks fans across Georgia the most accessible, free viewing experience possible. This is a significant moment for our stations and for the fans we serve."
To celebrate the occasion, Atlanta News First temporarily changed its name to “Atlanta Hawks First” for today (July 16) during regularly scheduled broadcast news programs. The Hawks full-time return to free, local over-the-air broadcasts is a homecoming for the franchise, which originally aired on WPCH (previously WTCG/WTBS) from 1972-1994 and WANF (previously WGNX/WGCL) from 1986-1993. During the 2023-24 season, the Atlanta Hawks, WANF and Peachtree Sports Network began their recent collaboration, simulcasting special 10- and 11-game packages each season, providing a free viewing option for millions of fans in the region.
During the 2025-26 season, a 13-game package aired on WANF and Peachtree TV. The package performed incredibly well, averaging more than 1.5 times the ratings of the Hawks other local games [Source: Nielsen Local TV Viewership (Live+SD), 2025-2026, Atlanta, Adults18+].
"WANF has always been committed to Atlanta, and this partnership takes that commitment to a new level," said Erik Schrader, general manager of WANF and WPCH. "A huge advantage of being independent is we can carry even more Hawks games than we've been able to do previously, as we continue to bring Atlanta-centric programming to our Atlanta viewers. We can't wait to tip off the 2026–27 season."
"We are thrilled to expand our partnership with WANF and Peachtree Sports Network, giving Hawks fans across Georgia even greater access to their favorite team this upcoming season," said Andrew Saltzman, president of business enterprise and chief commercial officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. "This agreement reflects our shared commitment to putting our fans first and delivering an outstanding fan experience for as many fans as possible."
In addition to the non-nationally televised regular season games, Gray will broadcast three preseason games and select national games during the 2026-27 season. The full broadcast schedule, including tip-off times and game-by-game details, will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit AtlantaNewsFirst.com/Hawks and Hawks.com.
About Gray Media:
Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We are the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets. As of May 15, 2026, we serve 117 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households. The portfolio includes 78 markets with the top-rated television station and 101 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station in average all-day ratings across the 116 of such markets that were measured by Nielsen in 2025. We also own the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 46 markets and Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Our additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios.
Gray Contact:
Sandy Breland, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, 404-266-8333
ABOUT THE ATLANTA HAWKS:
Committed to entertaining and uniting the city of Atlanta since 1968, the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, under the leadership of Principal Owners Tony Ressler and Jami Gertz, continue to build bridges through basketball by following its True to Atlanta mantra. The Hawks organization focuses on positively impacting the lives of Atlantans through providing access to youth basketball, fighting food insecurity, and the transformation of State Farm Arena into Georgia’s largest-ever voting precinct for the 2020 elections. The Hawks family also includes the College Park Skyhawks (NBA G League). Atlanta Hawks Membership, which includes your seat for every home game, is on sale now at www.hawks.com/membership or by calling 866-715-1500. For more information on the Hawks, log on to www.hawks.com or follow us on social media @ATLHawks.
MEDIA CONTACT: Garin Narain | Atlanta Hawks | (404) 395-0710 | Garin.Narain@Hawks.com
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