Hawaii News Now

What Hawaii News Now does

Hawaii News Now is a local broadcast television station group headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, owned by Gray Media (NASDAQ: GTN). It operates a portfolio of over-the-air stations including KHNL (NBC), KGMB (CBS), KFVE (MyNetworkTV), KSIX, KOGG (NBC repeater), KHNL Antenna TV, and Telemundo Hawaii, delivering free statewide coverage of news, weather, sports, and entertainment content across the Hawaiian Islands. Core products include the main HNN news service, First Alert Weather (forecasting, hurricane and tsunami alerts), HI Now Daily lifestyle programming, the Kitchen Scraps reality cooking competition, a portfolio of six podcasts under the HNN Podcasts network, and dedicated UH Athletics coverage anchored by a four-year, $7.5M-per-year exclusive broadcast partnership with the University of Hawaii at Mānoa Athletics beginning July 1, 2026.

The underlying technology stack is conventional over-the-air broadcast television augmented with digital streaming capabilities: hawaiinewsnow.com, mobile streaming, on-demand video archives, and integration with the Mountain West app and a new 24/7 Warrior FAST Channel for national sports distribution through Gray Media's footprint. No public APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML-driven products are documented.

The business model operates across three revenue streams: traditional broadcast advertising sold across the multi-station lineup, exclusive broadcast rights and partnership licensing (notably the $7.5M annual UH Athletics deal, more than double the prior pay-per-view arrangement), and digital content/subscription revenue from streaming properties. Distribution to consumers is free over-the-air via antenna, with additional reach through digital streaming, podcasts, and FAST channels. Customer segments include general Hawaii viewers (horizontal) and UH sports fans (vertical), while monetization is anchored by advertisers, sponsors, and institutional broadcast-rights counterparties such as the University of Hawaii.

Name

Hawaii News Now

Legal name

Hawaii News Now

Website

https://hawaiinewsnow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hawaii News Now is a Honolulu-based local broadcast television station group owned by Gray Media, operating multiple over-the-air stations across Hawaii to deliver free statewide news, weather, sports, and entertainment content to Hawaiian viewers and UH Athletics fans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Advertising: Traditional broadcast advertising revenue generated through commercial spots aired during news, sports, and weather programming across multiple stations.
2. Broadcast Rights and Partnerships: Revenue from exclusive broadcast rights partnerships, including the University of Hawaii athletics deal valued at approximately $7.5 million annually, featuring at least 110 home sporting events per year across multiple stations.
3. Digital Content and Streaming: Revenue from online content distribution, streaming services, and the Mountain West app for national sports content distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hawaii News Now is a local broadcast television station group operating multiple over-the-air channels (K5, KGMB, KHNL, KFVE, KSIX, KOGG, KHNL Antenna TV, Telemundo Hawaii) across Hawaii, delivering local news, First Alert Weather, sports coverage, and lifestyle programming. The group distributes content statewide through free over-the-air broadcasts, digital streaming, podcasts, mobile platforms, and the Mountain West app under its Gray Media parent company.

Product overview

Hawaii News Now is a local broadcast media company operating as a group of over-the-air television stations (K5, KGMB, KHNL) owned by Gray Media, providing statewide news, weather, sports, and entertainment content across Hawaii. The product portfolio centers on the core broadcast news service supplemented by First Alert Weather (weather forecasting with radar and alerts), HI Now Daily (lifestyle/community programming), Kitchen Scraps (reality cooking competition), and HNN Podcasts. Sports coverage includes dedicated UH Athletics broadcasts through a partnership and specialized platforms like Warrior Nation, Game Day, and Game Changers. Content distribution spans traditional broadcast, digital streaming, podcasts, and FAST channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• First Alert Weather: Hawaii News Now's weather forecasting brand providing weather updates, forecasts, surf reports, hurricane coverage, and tsunami information for the Hawaiian Islands.
• Kitchen Scraps
• HI Now Daily
• HNN Podcasts
• Sunrise
• HNN Investigates
• Warrior FAST Channel

Products and services

• Hawaii News Now (HNN) Broadcast Television Service The core broadcast product: a group of over-the-air television stations (K5, KGMB, KHNL, KFVE, KSIX, KOGG, KHNL Antenna TV, Telemundo Hawaii) and digital platforms delivering local news, weather, sports, and entertainment content statewide across Hawaii and online.
• First Alert Weather Comprehensive weather forecasting service providing real-time forecasts, radar imagery, surf reports, hurricane tracking, tsunami alerts, and weather news across Hawaii.
• HI Now Daily Daily lifestyle and community television programming covering food, health, local events, and human interest stories from across Hawaii.
• Kitchen Scraps Hawaii's first reality cooking competition show featuring local chefs competing in culinary challenges with celebrity judges, currently in Season 3 (spanning 2023-2026).
• HNN Podcasts Podcast portfolio including 'Muthaship' with Stephanie Lum, 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, HNN Overtime, HNN Off-Air, 'Tell Me A Story' with Jim Mendoza, and The Long Game.
• Warrior Nation Sports coverage platform dedicated to University of Hawaii athletics, including football, basketball, and other Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine sports programs.
• Game Day Sports pre-game show covering Hawaii sports teams with analysis, player interviews, and game previews.
• Game Changers Sports feature series highlighting athletes, coaches, and sports programs making an impact in Hawaii communities.
• HI Now Japan International lifestyle programming segment covering Japanese culture, food, travel, and community connections between Hawaii and Japan.
• UH Athletics Broadcast Partnership Four-year exclusive broadcast partnership with University of Hawaii at Manoa Athletics (2026-2030) returning UH sports to its original broadcast home K5, with at least 110 home sporting events annually, national distribution via Mountain West app, and a 24/7 'Warrior FAST Channel.'

Quantifiable outcome

• More than double the previous pay-per-view deal value with $7.5 million annual partnership with UH Athletics
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Hawaii at Mānoa Athletics DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Four-year broadcast partnership beginning July 1, 2026, valued at approximately $7.5 million annually. The partnership returns UH Mānoa sports to its original broadcast home K5 and includes commitment to broadcast at least 110 home sporting events per year across K5, KGMB, and KHNL stations. Includes national expansion through Mountain West app, 24/7 'Warrior FAST Channel,' student mentorship programs, and NIL community value initiatives for student-athletes.
• Hawaii LGBT Legacy FoundationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 October 2025Hawaii News Now served as the official broadcast partner for the 2025 Honolulu Pride Parade, tracking the festivities live from various points along the route. The event featured more than 100 businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community groups celebrating Hawaii's largest queer community event.
• Gray MediacoreOthersHawaii News Now is owned by Gray Media, a group of over-the-air television stations. The partnership enables national distribution through Gray Media's broader station footprint and technology infrastructure, including the Mountain West app for sports content distribution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KITV Island Television: ABC affiliate in Hawaii operating a local broadcast television station group in Honolulu competing head-to-head with HNN for viewers, advertisers, and local sports rights. Closest comparable peer given identical geography, broadcast model, and audience.
• KHON2 (Cox First Media): Fox-affiliated local television station in Honolulu operating with similar over-the-air broadcast plus digital streaming model, directly competing with HNN for news, weather, and local sports audiences in the same market.

Broad incumbents

• Gray Television: Parent company of HNN and operator of 100+ over-the-air TV stations across the U.S. Provides national distribution, shared technology, and group-level sports rights bargaining power (Mountain West deal) that HNN benefits from and competes against its sister stations within.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Large U.S. local broadcast station group operating hundreds of network-affiliated stations. Comparable business model around local news, broadcast advertising, and sports rights syndication, directly competing for regional sports network and station-level ad budgets.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest U.S. owner of local TV stations, operating across markets with similar over-the-air broadcast plus digital/local streaming model. Highly comparable in revenue mix (broadcast advertising + retransmission + digital) and competing for the same advertiser and rights-holders pool.
• Tegna: Major U.S. local broadcast television station group with comparable network affiliation mix and digital content operations. Competes for advertisers, syndicated content, and national distribution deals at the same station-group level as HNN's parent.
• Hearst Television: Owner of local broadcast TV stations across U.S. markets, with similar portfolio approach to news, weather, and sports content plus FAST channel experiments. Comparable in scale of operations and content verticals served.

Emerging players

• Spectrum Sports (Charter Communications): Cable/distribution operator carrying Hawaii regional sports including Spectrum Sports networks. Competes with HNN for viewer attention by offering paid sports programming that previously captured UH athletics pay-per-view audiences now lost to HNN's free broadcast.
• ESPN+ / Mountain West Conference streaming: Subscription streaming destination for Mountain West Conference sports content. Functions as a partial substitute for HNN's free over-the-air UH broadcasts, competing for the same UH M\u0101noa fan audience on a digital subscription basis.

Others

• Local News Live (Gray Media): Gray Media's national digital news streaming brand distributing local content across owned stations. Sister offering within the same parent company, providing the national distribution channel HNN content leverages for Hawaii content syndication.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hawaiinewsnow
• Facebookfacebook.com/HawaiiNewsNow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawaii-news-now

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawaii News Now