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

Andrew Saltzman, president, and business enterprise and chief commercial officer for the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, it 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 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 ANF and Peachtree TV have broadcast Hawks games locally. During the 2023-24 season, the Hawks, WANF and Peachtree TV simulcast 10- and 11=game packages. They had a 13-game package that 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. Atlanta-based Gray Media stations in Albany (WALB), Augusta (WRDW), Columbus (WTVM), Macon (WPGA) and Savannah (WTOC) will also carry games.

“I’m really excited about this deal,” Hilton Howell, chairman and chief executive officer, said in an interview Thursday with the AJC. “This is what broadcast television is meant to do: provide free access to their favorite sports teams. We are taking the Hawks not just statewide but markets outside of Georgia.”

He declined to reveal the financial terms of WANF’s agreement with the Hawks.

Howell said his company, which is the second largest TV station owner in the country with more than 180 stations, is already the primary broadcast partner with the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Steve Koonin, chief executive officer for the Hawks and a former Turner Broadcasting leader who ran TBS and TNT, said he hopes to collaborate with WANF to create additional Hawks-themed programming where basketball crosses into fashion, music and culture.

“This morning, we did a total takeover of their news show,” Koonin said Thursday. “I’m not sure many stations have the creativity and execution to turn that around so quickly.”

WANF, which relies heavily on local news-related programming, is also simulcasting 25 Atlanta Braves games this season and more than 20 Atlanta Dream games.

Mike Lewis, an Emory University professor with a specialty in sports marketing, said this is a good deal for both WANF and the Hawks, who have built a core young talent base and are hoping to build on last season’s second-half rebuild.

“The NBA is a clear No. 2 sport after the NFL, especially for younger people,” Lewis said. “It’s a great move for WANF. Live sports is the best product any legacy media company can have.”