The Orlando Magic have landed a new local TV deal. Cox Media Group will carry games for the 2026-27 season.
What We Know: The Magic’s prior local rights sat with Main Street Sports Group. The FanDuel Sports Network operator that emerged from Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy. Main Street missed 2026 rights payments and wound down operations this spring. Moreover, that pushed 13 NBA teams to find new broadcast homes. Orlando’s fix: WRDQ TV 27 will air all regular season games not claimed by national exclusives. WFTV Channel 9 will carry select games too. Several other former Main Street teams have similarly turned to over-the-air partners this offseason.
What They Said: Orlando Magic President of Business Operations Charlie Freeman: “We are excited to partner with the Cox Media Group to serve as our over-the-air partner for live games, replays, pregame and postgame coverage, and original programming. WRDQ TV 27 and WFTV Channel 9 will provide Magic fans great access, strong consistency and a direct connection to the team all season long.”
WFTV/WRDQ VP/GM Darren Moore: “We are excited for this partnership which will make Magic basketball even more accessible to fans throughout Central Florida. Combining the brands of Central Florida’s news leader and the Orlando Magic together will foster a commitment to delivering high-quality local sports programming and creating new avenues for fans to connect with the team.”
What Remains Unclear: The Magic haven’t released a full station lineup or broadcast schedule yet. In addition, a timeline for that announcement wasn’t given. Meanwhile, the team’s promised direct-to-consumer streaming partner is still unnamed.
What It Means: Free, over-the-air access replaces a cable model, widening the Magic’s potential audience across Central Florida. Pairing with the market’s top news brand also raises the broadcasts’ visibility. Moreover, continuity helps too: Dante Marchitelli returns as full-time play-by-play voice, joined by analyst Jeff Turner and reporter Kendra Douglas.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.