Press Releases September 23, 2026 12:00 PM

Charlotte Hornets and Gray Media Team Up to Bring Hornets Games to More Fans Across the Carolinas

Charlotte Hornets partners with Gray Media to expand regional broadcast coverage of Hornets games across the Carolinas and nearby markets.

By Priya Menon
Share
Twitter Reddit Facebook LinkedIn
GTN

Charlotte Hornets announced a new broadcast partnership with Gray Media to make Hornets NBA games accessible over-the-air and through local cable and satellite providers in multiple markets in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia for the 2026-27 season. This move expands regional access to the games, supporting fan engagement and regional presence. Gray Media will televise games via local affiliates and the Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network, while DAZN remains the exclusive streaming partner.

Charlotte Hornets and Gray Media Team Up to Bring Hornets Games to More Fans Across the Carolinas
GTN
Summarize with
ChatGPT Perplexity Claude Grok Gemini

Key Points

  • Expansion of Hornets game broadcasts to six markets in the Carolinas plus Roanoke, Virginia, increasing fan accessibility and regional footprint.
  • Gray Media, a major US multimedia company and broadcaster, will carry the games on local TV stations covering multiple affiliations including NBC, CBS, Fox, and MyNet.
  • The broadcasts include pregame and postgame shows enhancing fan experience and analysis, reinforcing the Hornets’ commitment to their fans.

ATLANTA, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Charlotte Hornets announced today a new broadcast partnership with Gray Media that will bring Hornets basketball over-the-air to more fans and communities during the 2026-27 NBA season.

Beginning in October, fans in six markets across North Carolina and South Carolina – Charleston, Columbia, Greenville-New Bern, Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson, Myrtle Beach and Wilmington – will be able to watch on local stations in their communities. Gray Media will also provide coverage in Roanoke, Virginia, further expanding the team’s regional footprint.

Games will be available free over-the-air and through participating local cable and satellite providers.   Gray will televise Hornets basketball through its local television affiliates and the Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network on the following stations:

  • Charleston: WCSC 5.1 and WCSC 5.3
  • Columbia: WIS 10.1, WIS 10.2 and WIS 10.4
  • Greenville-New Bern: WITN 7.1 and WITN 7.2
  • Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson: WHNS 21.1 and WHNS 21.2
  • Myrtle Beach: WMBF 32.1 and WMBF 32.3
  • Wilmington: WECT 6.1, WSFX 26.1 and WECT 6.3
  • Roanoke: WDBJ 7.1 and WZBJ 24.1

Broadcasts will include pregame and postgame shows featuring news and analysis about the team, its players and storylines from around the league.   The Hornets will announce market-specific game schedules and additional viewing information before the season begins.

“Our fans-first commitment means meeting fans where they are and making it easier for them to experience Hornets basketball,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment President Shelly Cayette-Weston.   “As the team of the Carolinas, we want longtime fans, new audiences and the next generation throughout our region to feel connected to their NBA team.   With a team on the rise built around a talented young core, we’re thrilled to partner with Gray Media to build on our momentum, reach more communities and bring the excitement of Hornets basketball into more homes across the region.”

“Gray knows Hornets fans across South and North Carolina will love watching these games free, over-the-air,” said Sandy Breland, Gray’s Chief Operating Officer.  “We appreciate our relationship with the Hornets and commend them for focusing on the fans with this broadcast partnership.”

As previously announced, WSOC Channel 9 and TV64 will serve as the local broadcast home of Hornets basketball in the Charlotte region for the 2026-27 season, bringing locally broadcast regular-season games to fans over the air and through participating cable and satellite providers.   DAZN will serve as the team’s exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home for the 2026-27 NBA season. 

For complete Hornets broadcast information, including how and where to watch, visit www.hornets.com/watch.

City/MarketStationAffiliationApproximate
No. of GamesColumbiaWIS 10.1NBC8 WIS 10.2CW8 WIS 10.4Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network75CharlestonWCSC 5.1CBS8 WCSC 5.3Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network75Greenville-New BernWITN 7.1NBC8 WITN 7.2MyNet75Greenville-Spartanburg
Asheville-AndersonWHNS 21.1Fox5 WHNS 21.2Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network75Myrtle BeachWMBF 32.1NBC8 WMBF 32.3Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network75Roanoke, VirginiaWDBJ 7.1CBS2 WZBJ 24.1MyNet (Channel 24)75WilmingtonWECT 6.1NBC8 WSFX 26.1Fox7 WECT 6.3MyNet75


Hornets Sports & Entertainment (HSE) owns the Charlotte Hornets and the Greensboro Swarm (NBA G League) and operates Spectrum Center, the premier destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas.   Charlotte’s first professional sports team, the Hornets joined the NBA in 1988 and are a member of the Eastern Conference’s Southeast Division. For more information, please visit hornets.com, gsoswarm.com or spectrumcentercharlotte.com.

About Gray Media:

Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We are the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets. We serve 117 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households. The portfolio includes 78 markets with the top-rated television station and 101 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station in average all-day ratings across the 116 of such markets that were measured by Nielsen in 2025. We also own the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 46 markets and Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Our additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios.

Gray Contact:

Sandy Breland, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, 404-266-8333


Risks

  • Dependence on viewership and ratings to sustain advertising revenue and justify expanded broadcast coverage, impacting media and entertainment sectors.
  • Competition from streaming platforms like DAZN as exclusive online partner could fragment audience and advertising sales.
  • Potential market saturation or limited growth in regional fan base could limit return on expanded broadcast investments.

More from Press Releases

MULTIMEDIA UPDATE: Smith+Nephew launches the new EVOS™ PELVIC Plating System at the 2026 Orthopedic Trauma Association (OTA) Annual Meeting, expanding the EVOS Plating Platform for pelvic and acetabular fracture management Sep 23, 2026 Comscore Partners with datafuelX to Bring Seamless Currency Adoption Into the Full Planning and Stewardship Workflow Sep 23, 2026 Beeline’s “Bizumentary” with Emmy Award-Winning Loft 100 Studios Set to Premiere Tomorrow Sep 23, 2026 Gran Tierra Energy Inc. Announces Filing of Definitive Proxy Statement for Special Meeting of Stockholders to Consider Approval of Sale of Colombian and Ecuadorian Businesses Sep 23, 2026 Nocera, Inc. Signs Worldwide Joint Distribution Agreement With Taiwan's E-PRO Display, Building the Channel Layer for AI Distribution Sep 23, 2026