Charlotte Hornets to Air Five Regular-Season Games on Local TV

The Charlotte Hornets announce plans to air five regular-season games on local TV, breaking away from the industry trend of cable and streaming exclusivity.

Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets are making a significant change to their broadcast schedule for the upcoming season, opting to air five regular-season games on local television. This move aligns with a recent trend among NBA teams who are shifting away from exclusively broadcasting games on cable and streaming services.

The specific channel and game matchups for the local broadcasts have yet to be announced. However, Hornets business operations President Shelly Cayette-Weston revealed the team's media plans during an interview with the Charlotte Business Journal.

The decision to air games on local TV comes as the Hornets are one of 13 NBA teams affiliated with Diamond Sports Group-owned regional sports networks which as you may know, filed for bankruptcy protection in March of 2023. Since that news surfaced, there has been a lot of uncertainty about where fans would be able to watch games in the future.

In August of 2024, Hornets co-owner Rick Schnall told reporters, "There will be a place to watch the Hornets. We think it'll be Bally Sports under the terms of the contract, but if not we will have alternative plans."

The plan is for all 82 of the Hornets' games this upcoming season to be available for streaming on BallySports, but there will be five games that will be permitted to air on local television.

And don't worry about the broadcast crew...it was also confirmed in the report that Eric Collins and Dell Curry will continue as the most electrifying broadcast duo in the NBA with the new addition of Shannon Spake as the sideline reporter, who is replacing Ashley ShahAhmadi who moved on this past offseason.

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