HONOLULU - The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Athletics Department announced that it has selected Hawaii News Now (HNN) as its official broadcast partner. The four-year agreement, which begins July 1, 2026, marks a major shift in how fans across the islands will access UH sports, moving the primary home for local broadcasts from a subscription-based cable model to free, statewide television distribution and expanding how and where fans can watch UH sports.
The partnership returns UH athletics to the broadcast home of its most historic era. K5, which served as the “Home Team” for UH sports for nearly two decades beginning in 1994, will once again serve as the primary home for live games, original programming, and year-round coverage of the Bows. The expanded distribution of K5 will make UH sports more accessible than ever to fans across the islands.
K5 broadcasts will also be available nationally through the new Mountain West app, significantly expanding access to Rainbow Warrior and Rainbow Wahine Athletics beyond Hawaiʻi. More information on how to subscribe to this service will be forthcoming. In addition to HNN’s 110-game broadcast schedule, dozens of additional UH events will be available through the app via productions led by UH Athletics. HNN and UH will also explore opportunities to showcase select campus productions across HNN stations.
By leveraging HNN’s broad statewide reach across K5, KGMB (CBS), and KHNL (NBC/Telemundo), UH Athletics will significantly expand access to its programs across Hawaiʻi, nearly doubling the number of television households able to watch local broadcasts of the Bows. Beyond the islands, Gray Media’s national footprint will create new opportunities to showcase UH Athletics through special programming distributed to audiences across the country.
“This partnership is about maximizing exposure for our programs and ensuring every fan in Hawai‘i and beyond can watch our games,” said UH Athletics Director Matt Elliott. “Over-the-air broadcast television is the ideal platform for the ‘Our Team, Hawai‘i’s Team’ theme and will make it easier than ever for our community to connect with our student-athletes. This level of reach is vital for the growth of our brand and our future success.”
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As the official broadcast partner of UH Athletics, HNN has committed to broadcasting a minimum of 110 home sporting events per year, including all available football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, and women’s volleyball games, plus broadcasts of baseball, softball, and women’s soccer. To sustain year-round engagement, HNN will also launch a 24/7 “Warrior FAST Channel,” a free streaming, always-on destination for UH fans featuring classic games, original series, player features, behind-the-scenes storytelling, and exclusive content.
The agreement represents an estimated annual partnership value of approximately $7.5 million, reflecting a model designed to create broader long-term value for UH Athletics rather than a traditional rights-fee model. The partnership includes expanded statewide access, significantly more televised events, year-round storytelling and promotion, student development opportunities, initiatives that support NIL community value for student-athletes, and shared revenue opportunities tied to campus productions and the Warrior FAST Channel.
A key focus includes year-round storytelling and promotion across HNN’s leading broadcast, digital, streaming, and social platforms. Leveraging Hawaiʻi’s largest local media audience and social footprint, the partnership will deliver 365 days of coverage through student-athlete features, behind-the-scenes storytelling, original programming, and content designed to showcase the UH experience and strengthen the visibility of Rainbow Warrior and Rainbow Wahine Athletics.
In addition to broadcast excellence, the partnership includes a robust mentorship and educational component. HNN will dedicate seven positions for the UH partnership and provide hands-on training for UH students in sports production, and management. This initiative aims to build a sustainable media pipeline in Hawai‘i by coaching the next generation of storytellers using professional-grade broadcast standards.
“We are honored to support UH Athletics’ vision and showcase the excellence of these student-athletes to the world,” said Katie Pickman, General Manager of Hawaii News Now. “Our goal is to make UH sports easy to find and free to enjoy for every fan on every island, truly making them ‘Hawai‘i’s Team’ across all platforms.”
This partnership underscores HNN’s deeply rooted commitment to local programming and community engagement across the islands. HNN has a proven track record of producing and distributing Hawai‘i’s most culturally significant events, including the Merrie Monarch Festival, the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest, the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, and more. By integrating UH Athletics into its year-round ecosystem of storytelling, HNN continues its mission of celebrating local excellence and building lasting connections within the Hawai‘i community.
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