The Atlanta Hawks are on a roll, with a 45-33 record (at the time of this writing), and looking like a sure bet to go to the NBA playoffs for the first time in a while.
But they may be looking for a new TV home after this season.
Main Street Sports Group, a regional sports network that includes FanDuel Sports South in Atlanta, has told the 13 NBA teams it has local broadcast contracts with (including the Hawks) that they are ceasing operations at the end of their seasons. The last regular-season Hawks game is April 12, against the Miami Heat. After that, they will need to look for another TV home.
(Assuming they go to the playoffs, national cable and broadcast channels will televise the Hawks’ playoff games this season.)
According to ESPN, MSSG tried to secure a deal with a streaming platform DAZN, but it fell through, leading to all of its MLB teams (including the Braves) to bail. Now it looks as though the NBA and NHL teams will also be looking for new TV partners when their new season begins later this year.
According to Soaring Down South, the Hawks are being paid $32 million by MSSG for broadcasting the games.
What will the Hawks do if MSSG folds? They could do what the Braves did and launch their own media portal, ala BravesVision. They could hook up with a local broadcaster like Gray Media, which is already airing some local games on WANF and WPCH. But neither they nor MSSG have publicly commented on what the franchise intends to do in the future.
The Hawks have not had complete regular-season games on local broadcast TV since their WTBS days. Gray currently airs 11 regular-season games on WANF, Peachtree Sports Network, and several owned stations across the state.
Originally posted on Substack 4/3/26
