Could Braves’ TV future be with over-the-air WANF?

The financial mess that has engulfed FanDuel Sports Network’s parent company creates uncertainty over where Braves fans will be able to watch their team on television in the coming season.

It does leave one intriguing possible outcome.

Conceivably, fans could watch their team on a local channel that, honest to goodness, they wouldn’t have to pay for.

A quick rewind. Earlier this month, the Braves were one of nine teams to break its TV contract with Main Street Sports Group, which operates FanDuel SN, because of its financial instability. Main Street, previously known as Diamond Sports Group, emerged from bankruptcy a year ago and the money problems have continued.

If it can’t find a buyer — possibly sports streaming service DAZN — Main Street faces the possibility of starting to close down business as early as the end of this week, according to Sports Business Journal.

It would leave teams such as the Braves in a bind with spring training less than three weeks away. The safest and easiest response probably would be to hand over the job to MLB, which now works with at least seven teams to produce and distribute their games in their local markets.

In that case, fans within the Braves’ home television market could watch the team on cable and satellite television or via a streaming subscription, much in the same manner that they already do.

Given the ease and safety of that option, the fact that the Braves and other teams haven’t jumped on it indicates that the revenue stream isn’t as robust as what Main Street — or its new owner — could still provide.

The Braves’ ultimate goal may be to handle production and distribution within the organization. The Rangers have operated in this manner since last season. It could drive more profit but would likely require a significant investment in infrastructure and personnel to essentially form its own TV channel.

So then, what about the possibility of the Braves being on a free local station?

In a way, they already have been. Last year, the Braves and Gray Media began a multiyear deal to simulcast 15 FanDuel SN regular-season games on its over-the-air stations. Last year, that included Gray-owned Peachtree TV in the Atlanta market.

In addition, Gray produced and aired 10 spring-training games on its own.

Besides Peachtree TV, Atlanta-based Gray Media also owns WANF, which used to be CBS46 until it became independent this past August.

The Braves appeal to Gray in part because of the spread of its stations. Last year, Gray carried the Braves on 24 markets across six states of the Braves’ home television territory, reaching more than 15 million households.

The Braves would bring eyeballs, prized content and increased visibility to WANF and other Gray stations. There is a reason that networks pay billions for the rights to professional and college sports leagues. It’s because nothing draws viewership like live sports.

Even the Gray-aired spring-training games last year scored TV ratings that delighted its executives.

Gray makes no secret that live sports programming is a priority for it and WANF. Erik Schrader, WANF’s general manager, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year that one reason the station went independent was to add more local news and live sports programming.

A sentence in a November 2025 news release reporting Gray’s third-quarter financial results reiterated the point:

“WANF’s transition has met our expectations, and we look forward to continuing to expand our local news and other local content offerings, including live local sports programming.”

That includes the station’s simulcasts of 11 Hawks games this season.

Earlier this month, the AJC reached out to Schrader to speak with him about the possibility of Gray’s interest in a larger role with the Braves.

Via text, Schrader responded, “We have no comment at this time.”

That can be interpreted in any number of ways, particularly when the future of simulcast partner FanDuel SN is murky at best.

But “we have no comment at this time” doesn’t seem like something a station that has no interest in changing its present arrangement would say.

Through a team spokesperson, the Braves also declined to comment regarding their local TV arrangement.

There are many questions. What might it look like for Gray to take on more games? Could it create the infrastructure and hire the personnel necessary to produce and air numerous regular-season games on its own?

What would the Braves’ interest level be in a television partner with limited sports broadcasting experience? Quite important, what would it mean revenue-wise for a front office aiming to be a top-five spender in MLB?

But for no small number of Braves fans, having their team on a free channel and not having to worry about carriage disputes or rate increases would be a most welcome development.

Will it happen?

That’s hard to say.

Could it happen?

In some form, you’d have to think so.