Cord-cutting Atlanta Falcons fans won’t have to worry about missing the action this year, thanks to Atlanta’s local independent station, WANF.
Gray-owned Atlanta News First (ANF) announced it struck a deal with ESPN to simulcast selected Atlanta Falcons games locally. Two games have been confirmed for this upcoming season, starting with Week 4, playing the New Orleans Saints on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on October 5, 2026. The other game is a Sunday morning game in Madrid, Spain, where the Falcons will meet the Cincinnati Bengals on Week 9 on November 8. This game will also air on ESPN owned NFL Network.
ANF could air a third game on December 26, where the opponent will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, if it airs on the NFL Network. If Falcons games in 2027 air on ESPN or NFL Network, ANF will broadcast those games locally as well.
ESPN will produce the games’ simulcasts, according to ANF.
As more and more live sports games move to cable and streaming networks, local stations like WSB and WXIA have come to the rescue in previous seasons to air Falcons games that local non-cable fans might otherwise miss. ANF will be taking care of that now, thanks to this agreement. 
“Falcons football is part of the fabric of Atlanta, and we’re proud to bring these games to fans on Atlanta News First,” said ANF’s general manager, Erik Schrader, in a statement. “This partnership strengthens our commitment to local sports and gives viewers another way to watch some of the biggest games on the Falcons’ schedule. From the Falcons to the Hawks, Braves and Dream, we’re focused on widening access and delivering coverage that matters to Atlanta fans.”
ANF may have “news” in its name, but the station has been on a sports tear in recent years. The station already had an arrangement with the Braves, Dream, and the Hawks to air some games. This new deal brings the Falcons back in the fold for the first time since last year, when it gave up its CBS affiliation and the rights to carry a few Falcons games that came with it.
The Falcons can now be seen on four different Atlanta broadcast stations:
| Station/Network | Game Week |
| WAGA/Fox | 1-2; 6-8;12;15;17 |
| WUPA/CBS | 10; 13-14 |
| WANF/Ind (ESPN, NFL Network) | 4; 9; Third game TBA |
| WXIA/NBC | 5 |
| Week 3 to be televised on Amazon Prime. Week 18 broadcaster not yet confirmed. | |
