KEY TAKEAWAYS: GCSEN launched in October 2024, broadcasting Pelicans games free over-the-air. Network now reaches 14 markets and over 10 million households in the Gulf South. Programming includes Saints pre/postgame shows, high school sports, and minor league baseball. Pelicans viewership doub led year-over-year, driving local business. In today’s sports broadcast landscape, fans often face a frustrating reality: figuring out where to watch their favorite team on TV can feel like a scavenger hunt. Between streaming services, cable packages, and national broadcasts, many fans must subscribe to multiple apps just to follow their teams over the course of a season. The Gulf Coast Sports Entertainment Network (GCSEN) is attempting to solve that problem. Anchored by New Orleans Pelicans game broadcasts, the regional network has quickly built an audience of local sports fans and generated early ratings success. GCSEN is a Gray Media-operated regional sports platform based at WVUE-TV FOX 8 in New Orleans that now serves 14 markets across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of the Florida Panhandle. Launched in October 2024, the network carries all non-nationally televised Pelicans games free over the air via antenna while expanding distribution through major providers including DIRECTV and Cox Communications. “Think about the good old days when all that people needed was an antenna or cable TV to watch their favorite sports teams, like the Braves and Cubs on TBS or WGN. That’s really the concept here – making sports accessible to the masses again,” said Mikel Schaefer, VP GM of WVUE-TV Fox 8 and GCSEN. Gray Media operates 180 television stations across 113 markets in the United States. In recent years, the company has launched over-the-air regional sports networks in cities including New Orleans, Atlanta, Memphis, St. Louis and Phoenix, along with several markets across the Gulf Coast and Midwest. Those networks, including GCSEN, provide local access to professional and collegiate sports programming. The NFL remains the exception as its national television agreements prevent regional networks from broadcasting live regular-season games. “This is part of Gray Media’s broader strategy to build local sports networks across our footprint and broadcast those local sports to as many people as we can,” Schaefer said. “What we’ve built here in New Orleans is unique because it’s truly a regional network built across our existing broadcast infrastructure.” Beyond Pelicans games, GCSEN’s programming lineup includes Saints regular-season pregame and postgame shows, daily sports programs from the Locked On Podcast Network, high school sports through partnerships with Crescent City Sports and the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Network, Biloxi Shuckers minor league baseball games, and additional regional sports programming. “The Pelicans are our signature live event, and the goal is to build around that,” Schaefer said. “We’re working with the Pelicans and Saints to create more team-related content, and we’ve partnered with Crescent City Sports to air high school games. We are continuing to look for more high school, collegiate, and professional events, and the idea is to make this a true home for local sports across the region.” GCSEN reaches more than 10 million households. Pelicans’ viewership has more than doubled year over year in New Orleans. During its first season, broadcasts averaged a 2.4 rating locally — about 12,332 households per game, according to Comscore, Inc. That number has climbed to a 4.8 rating, or roughly 23,768 households, during the current season. “For years, we have heard the same frustrations from fans – they couldn’t find the game or didn’t have the right service provider to watch the game. Our goal with GCSEN was if you have an antenna or cable, you can get the games almost anywhere,” said Greg Bensel, senior vice president of communications, broadcasting, community and government relations for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. “This network has allowed us to bring the Pelicans to fans across the Gulf South in a way that’s more accessible than ever before.” GCSEN emerged from collaboration between Gray Media and leadership within the Saints and Pelicans organizations. For years, regional sports networks such as Bally Sports served as the primary home for local NBA broadcasts. But financial instability in early 2024 at Bally’s parent company, Diamond Sports Group, forced roughly a dozen NBA teams – including the Pelicans – to reconsider their media distribution strategies. That shift opened the door for Gray Media and the Saints/Pelicans to create a new network. “When Bally’s began struggling, we knew we needed to get ahead of the problem,” Bensel said. “Instead of waiting for the situation to play out, we asked: what if we partnered with a local media company to build a network? That’s exactly what we did. We had worked with Gray Media for years, so there was already a strong relationship, and Gray Media has been a tremendous partner to build this network together with.” In September 2024, the Pelicans announced a media rights deal with Gray Media to broadcast all non-nationally televised Pelicans games locally via free over-the-air television. Gray’s station footprint provided distribution across the Gulf South, while the Pelicans already had broadcast production capabilities in place. “We took responsibility for the pregame show, the game broadcast itself, halftime and postgame coverage, and all the on-air talent. That allowed us to transition quickly once the network framework came together,” Bensel said. In October 2025, another milestone came when DIRECTV added GCSEN to its channel lineup. “One of the biggest moments for us was getting distribution on DIRECTV. Mrs. [Gayle] Benson reached out to their leadership, and within about two weeks we had an agreement that opened the door to roughly four million additional viewers,” Bensel said. “A lot of bars and restaurants rely on DIRECTV, so that was critical for visibility.” Through the first 55 games of the 2025–26 season, five Pelicans broadcasts have won prime time when simulcast on FOX 8 and GCSEN, while another 12 broadcasts have won prime time on GCSEN alone. “For a channel that’s barely 17 months old, that’s incredible,” Schaefer said. “The bottom line is clear: when fans are given consistent, accessible local coverage, they show up. We created this network from scratch, and I’m incredibly proud of what our team has built.” The growth in viewership has also attracted local businesses looking to connect with sports fans. “The Pelicans have a very loyal fan base, and that makes this an attractive platform for advertisers,” Schaefer said. “Businesses are starting to see the benefits of associating with a network that delivers a passionate and engaged audience.” The network’s reach is also helping the Pelicans expand their fan base across the Gulf South. “We’re seeing Pelicans games airing in places like Birmingham and Montgomery, and we’re actively marketing and building fan and community engagement in those areas,” Bensel said. “That includes youth basketball programs, junior NBA leagues, and local outreach. You start seeing kids wearing Pelicans’ gear and more people in those areas watching the games, and that’s how you organically build a fan base.” ...read more read less