Hawks reach broadcast agreement with Gray Media for 2026-27 season

The Hawks will return to local airwaves next season.

On Thursday, the Hawks announced they entered a broadcast partnership with Gray Media that brings all non-nationally televised 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.

With ANF as the official broadcast partner of the Hawks, fans can watch non-nationally televised games for free.

For Hawks President, Business Enterprise and Chief Commercial Officer for the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, Andrew Saltzman, proved to be the right time for the partnership.

“I think it was really twofold,” Saltzman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was about reach and engagement, and probably a third word that I would put in there is accessibility.”

The partnership comes after FanDuel Sports Network shut down at the end of last season.

But now, fans can catch the games without the need for an additional service package. Last season, the Hawks had 16 nationally televised games, leaving 66 chances for fans to experience the broadcast with local voices.

So, Hawks fans could see the return of play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun, as well as analyst Dominique Wilkins.

“With this partnership just getting formalized, we’re discussing,” Saltzman said. “Our intention is to keep the great traditions and connectivity that we have.

“But those are going to be discussed, over the next over the next several weeks. But we’re certainly excited about working with Gray Media and their abilities not only to distribute, but produce just a top-tier broadcast for the Atlanta Hawks.”

It’s not the first time that ANF and Peachtree TV has broadcast Hawks game locally. During the 2023-24 season, the Hawks, WANF and Peachtree TV simulcast 10- and 11-game packages. They had a 13-game package aired on WANF and Peachtree TV during the 2025-26 season.

“WANF has always been committed to Atlanta, and this partnership takes that commitment to a new level,” Erik Schrader, general manager of WANF and WPCH, said in a statement.

“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.”

ANF will also be 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,” Hilton H. Howell, Chairman and CEO of Gray Media said in a statement in the release announcing the partnership.