Free TV? Hornets announce huge shift in broadcast partner for 2026-27 NBA season
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
It’s going to be much easier to watch the Charlotte Hornets on television in 2026-27.
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The Hornets and Cox Media Group announced a one-year broadcast partnership Wednesday, making WSOC-TV Channel 9 and TV64 the team’s new full–time television home beginning in October.
Cox Media group will air all the Hornets’ non-nationally televised regular-season games across the Charlotte region. The agreement also calls for comprehensive programming, including pregame and postgame shows and other Hornets’ centric content.
WSOC and TV64 served as the over-the-air home for the Hornets for select games the past two seasons, and the organization views this a major step toward greater accessibility, stronger fan engagement and broader regional reach.
“We evaluated a lot of different options on how we can continue to evolve our broadcast solution here,” Hornets chief business and revenue officer Mike Behan said. “We simulcast games last year. We saw great success with that. We’ve done a number of other initiatives where we’ve partnered together to really build upon the Hornets brand.
“We’re excited about continuing forward and providing a solution for our fans — all fans — to be able to watch our Hornets’ games over the air on WSOC and TV64 this season.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move was necessary after FanDuel Sports Southeast ceased operations.
Main Street Sports Groups, which owns FanDuel Sports Networks, shut down its NBA and NHL regional broadcasts following the 2025-26 NBA and NHL seasons. The company purchased Bally Sports Network after its owners filed for bankruptcy in 2024, rebranding it as FanDuel Sports Network.
Many fans expressed frustration with the Hornets’ arrangement with their regional television partner, but that should change with WSOC and TV64 holding the rights. The over-the-air channels are also available on Spectrum, ATT U-verse, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, DISH Network and YouTube TV.
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WSOC can be accessed on Hulu + Live TV and FuboTV, as well.
“This partnership over the last couple years with the simulcast games has been incredible,” Cox Media Group vice president and general manager Cedric Thomas said. “And to be able to extend that and give more games free over-the-air has been exciting for us. Our team is super excited.”
There are still some moving parts, such as finalizing details to bring beloved longtime Hornets commentators Eric Collins and Dell Curry back, and what channels the games will be broadcast on outside of Charlotte throughout North Carolina and South Carolina.
Specifics on a direct-to-consumer streaming platform are also still in the production pipeline.
“I think obviously folks are consuming content a lot different today than they have in the past,” Behan said. “And so we want to meet those fans where they are. For individuals that don’t have access or are looking for a different way to consume Hornets’ content, we will have a direct-to-consumer option available.
“Again, we’re working through some of that in real time, so we’ll be able to share that here shortly.”
Along with more on what patrons can expect when they tune in.
“Hopefully you’ve seen we are not an organization that likes to sit on our hands, especially underneath our new ownership here,” Behan said. “We’ll have a couple surprises for the fans as we roll out this new broadcast. We’re constantly scouring the landscape to understand what are some of the best practices out there and how do we bring those to Charlotte Hornets’ fans.
“So, we’re absolutely looking for ways to enhance the broadcast and make sure we’re competitive, make sure it’s the best broadcast across professional sports.”
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