Spectrum Sports Hawaii has ceased operations, marking the end of a longstanding cable television presence dedicated to local athletics in the islands. The closure follows the University of Hawaii’s decision to shift its sports broadcasts to Hawaii News Now, moving coverage from a subscription-based cable model to free over-the-air television available statewide.
The transition of UH Sports took effect on July 1, 2026, under a new four-year agreement between the University of Hawaii at Mānoa Athletics Department and Hawaii News Now, part of Gray Media. The deal guarantees a minimum of 110 home sporting events each year, encompassing all available football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, and women’s volleyball contests, along with selected baseball, softball, and women’s soccer games. Primary telecasts will air on K5, returning University of Hawaii athletics to a free broadcast platform that once served as a longtime home for the programs decades earlier. Additional distribution includes statewide access and a free 24/7 Warrior streaming channel featuring classic games, player profiles, and original content. The partnership is valued at approximately $7.5 million annually, or roughly $30 million over four years, representing a significant increase from the previous arrangement and enabling eligibility for full Mountain West Conference media rights revenue.
With this, Spectrum will keep running OC16, and its local high school sports aired on OC16 will continue happening. Just the Spectrum Sports Hawaii channel is shutting down.
This change ends Spectrum Sports Hawaii’s role as the primary local rights holder for University of Hawaii athletics, a partnership that began in 2011. Prior to the full shift, the 2025 season had already seen adjustments, including the elimination of pay-per-view fees for football home games, which became available live on the cable channel without extra cost to subscribers. The move to Hawaii News Now expands accessibility for fans across all islands who previously needed a Spectrum subscription or paid packages, while also aligning the university’s media strategy with broader conference distributions and national streaming options through the Mountain West app.
Spectrum Sports Hawaii traces its roots to 1976, when it launched as a cable access channel under Oceanic Cable, later known as Oceanic Time Warner Cable. Initially focused on providing local alternative programming, the service evolved into two primary feeds: one for general interest community content on what became channel 12, and a dedicated sports outlet on channel 16. High school athletics became a cornerstone early on, with the first live high school football broadcasts airing in 1989, featuring Oahu Interscholastic Association games. The channel adopted the OC16 branding in the late 1990s and steadily expanded coverage of prep sports across multiple disciplines, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, and more, while also producing original shows related to surfing, fishing, paddling, and extreme sports unique to Hawaii.
In 2011, the sports feed solidified its identity as the official television home for University of Hawaii athletics, producing live game telecasts, pre-game and post-game shows, and related programming for football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, and other sports. Pay-per-view options for select football games operated for years on a companion channel before being phased out. Following Charter Communications’ acquisition of Time Warner Cable in 2016, the service rebranded under the Spectrum umbrella, with Spectrum Sports Hawaii and Spectrum OC16 designations reflecting the corporate change while retaining local focus. The channels remained exclusive to Spectrum subscribers in Hawaii, with some availability via apps for mainland customers, and continued to emphasize community-oriented content alongside major collegiate events.
The loss of University of Hawaii rights removed the channel’s most prominent programming block, contributing to the decision to cease operations. For fifteen years, Spectrum Sports Hawaii had delivered consistent coverage that connected fans to Rainbow Warrior and Rainbow Wahine teams, high school athletes, and island sports culture. Production crews handled dozens of events annually, creating a familiar on-air presence with dedicated announcers, analysis, and features that became part of the local sports viewing routine. The shift reflects broader industry trends toward free over-the-air and streaming distribution models that prioritize wider reach over traditional cable exclusivity.
University of Hawaii athletics now enters a new era of broader visibility, with games accessible without cable subscriptions and enhanced opportunities for statewide and national audiences. Hawaii News Now’s commitment includes expanded storytelling, student production involvement, and year-round promotion. Meanwhile, the closure of Spectrum Sports Hawaii concludes a chapter that began nearly five decades earlier with modest cable access origins and grew into a dedicated sports outlet serving generations of Hawaiian sports fans. The transition underscores evolving media landscapes in college athletics, where accessibility, revenue potential, and multi-platform delivery increasingly shape broadcast partnerships. Fans who long relied on the cable channel for live action will now find University of Hawaii sports on free television and digital platforms, ensuring continued coverage amid the end of the Spectrum Sports Hawaii era.
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