Gray Media and Atlanta Hawks Bring Hawks Basketball to Millions with Free Expansive, Georgia-Wide Broadcast Partnership for 2026–27 NBA Season

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All non-nationally televised regular season games to air on WANF and Peachtree Sports Network 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."

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