The Atlanta Hawks are taking a refreshingly simple approach to local television: let people watch the team.
Beginning with the 2026-27 season, every Hawks regular-season game not carried exclusively by a national broadcaster will be available free over the air through the franchise’s new partnership with Gray Media. Fans in the Atlanta market will be able to receive games on WANF with a television antenna, while Gray-owned stations in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah will expand the coverage across Georgia.
Atlanta is not the first NBA franchise to embrace the model. Over the past few years, teams including the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, and Portland Trail Blazers have also moved portions or all of their local broadcasts to free over-the-air television, signaling a broader shift away from the regional sports network model. The Hawks are now following that lead by making their games more accessible to local fans.
The agreement also includes three preseason games and select nationally televised matchups. Hawks broadcasts will remain available through several cable and streaming providers, but the biggest change is that local viewers will no longer need an expensive television package just to watch their team.
Atlanta had already tested the concept. A 13-game free television package during the 2025-26 season reportedly generated significantly stronger viewership than the club’s traditional local broadcasts, giving the organization confidence to expand the initiative.
That success reinforces what several franchises have already discovered: fans are more likely to follow a team when watching games is easy. Eliminating costly subscriptions and confusing blackout restrictions makes it simpler for longtime supporters to stay connected and for new fans to discover the sport.
The Hawks are not reinventing the wheel – they are embracing a model that is already gaining momentum across the NBA.
Sometimes the smartest innovation is simply making basketball easy to watch again.
