Carolina Hurricanes fans are getting a front-row seat to a TV shakeup, with the team planning to roll out its own direct-to-consumer network for the 2026-27 season after its regional carrier folded. The move gives the Canes a team-run way to watch games while local broadcast rights get reworked in a rapidly shifting regional sports network market that has left several clubs scrambling for new distribution.
For viewers, that likely means a patchwork of options at first. The team and league are working on a mix of subscription packages, negotiated pay-TV carriage and some over-the-air windows as they hammer out the details.
According to the Triangle Business Journal, the Hurricanes plan to offer their own direct-to-consumer network beginning in 2026-27 and are among four NHL clubs shifting to new local-broadcast strategies after their previous carrier collapsed.
NHL Steps In To Produce Local Games
Sports Business Journal reports that the NHL is beefing up NHL Productions to take over game production for the Blue Jackets, Blues, Hurricanes and Wild starting in 2026-27. Under the new setup, the league will provide production crews, studio programming and technical support so individual clubs can focus on distribution and ad sales instead of trying to stand up full production operations on their own.
What The League's Plan Includes
In a league announcement republished by ProHockeyNews, NHL executives promised “premium game production” that includes more cameras and a uniform graphics package across participating teams. The release also notes that the league will assist clubs in negotiating carriage deals with pay-TV providers and in exploring both streaming and over-the-air partners as part of market-specific distribution plans.
Main Street's Wind-Down Forced The Issue
The pivot comes on the heels of Main Street Sports Group’s decision to wind down its FanDuel regional networks after missed payments and contract terminations earlier this year, a move that left multiple teams without long-term RSN homes, according to ABC11. That collapse sped up club efforts to build their own direct offerings or lock in alternate broadcast partners before the 2026-27 season gets underway.
What It Means In The Carolinas
The Hurricanes are not exactly starting from scratch in their backyard. The team has simulcast games with WRAL in previous seasons, according to the team’s website, which shows that local over-the-air partners already exist in the Raleigh-Durham market.
Sports Business Journal also notes that a Hurricanes spokesperson said the club is hopeful it can preserve some linear distribution, whether on pay-TV or free over-the-air channels, as it rolls out its new direct-to-consumer product.
In the short term, the picture is a bit messy but generally promising for fans. Both the team and the league say they are working to keep Canes games available in-market, whether through a dedicated Hurricanes subscription service, new carriage deals or occasional free broadcasts. Details on pricing, launch timing and where exactly fans will find the games are expected in the coming weeks as clubs finalize their distribution plans.
