The New Orleans Pelicans announced their 2026-27 broadcast coverage on Monday, and the biggest change is simple: 20 regular-season games will air free over the air on FOX 8 in New Orleans for the first time in franchise history. The club said the schedule also keeps 80 of 82 regular-season games on Gray Media and the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network, with every locally televised game available on Pelicans+.
That matters now because fans looking for Lakers Vs Golden State Warriors match player stats are often really looking for one thing first: where they can watch the game. This plan gives them more routes to do that, especially in a season where the Pelicans are trying to put more games within easy reach across New Orleans and the wider Gulf Coast. The season opener on October 21 against the Indiana Pacers will be on both FOX 8 and GCSEN, setting the tone for a schedule that mixes free television, regional cable, streaming and radio.
The selected FOX 8 games show how the network will be used. Along with the opener, the schedule includes New Year’s Eve against the Los Angeles Lakers, a home game against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 28, a road game at the Boston Celtics on March 21 and a road game at the New York Knicks on March 23. Amazon Prime will carry both Pelicans games in Europe, with the team facing the San Antonio Spurs in Paris on January 14 and in Manchester on January 17. WWL Radio will carry all 82 regular-season games and all four preseason games, giving fans another way to follow along when television is not an option.
The reach is broad, but it is not total. Gray Media and GCSEN will still handle most of the regular-season schedule, and GCSEN’s footprint covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, while Pelicans+ remains the backstop for locally televised games. That means the headline number is easy to celebrate, but the reality underneath is more layered: 20 games will be free on FOX 8, yet many others will still live on regional television, streaming or radio. The club also said all four preseason games will air on GCSEN, which keeps the early part of the season inside the same broadcast family.
Joel Meyers and Antonio Daniels are back in the television booth, Andrew Lopez is returning for his third season as sideline reporter, Kelly Crull is joining as host of pregame, halftime and postgame shows, and Kalia Butler is coming in as team reporter. For fans, the next concrete date is October 21, when the opener against Indiana gives the new setup its first real test.
