Local Channels in North Carolina: Every TV Market, Station and Way to Watch

North Carolina TV markets and their channels

Each North Carolina TV market has its own ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations, and Nielsen calls each market a DMA, short for designated market area. Three corners of the state belong to markets centered elsewhere. Asheville and the mountains watch Greenville-Spartanburg in South Carolina, the northeast watches Norfolk, and Lumberton watches Myrtle Beach-Florence. Our guide to local channels by state explains how markets work nationwide. The Upstate side of the CBS move is in our South Carolina guide, and the Virginia guide covers the Norfolk market.

We took the numbers below on November 2, 2026 from the broadcast records on RabbitEars. They show what each station sends to your TV, and we compared them with the list of North Carolina TV stations.

Market	Main North Carolina cities	ABC	CBS	NBC	FOX
Charlotte	Charlotte, Gastonia, Concord, Hickory	9	3	36	46
Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville)	Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville	11	17	5	50
Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point	Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, Burlington	45	2	12	8
Greenville-New Bern-Washington	Greenville, New Bern, Jacksonville, Morehead City	12	9	7	12.2
Wilmington	Wilmington, Leland, Southport	3	3.2	6	26
Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville	Asheville, Hendersonville, Waynesville	13	4.3	4	21
Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News	Elizabeth City and the Outer Banks	13	3	10	43
Myrtle Beach-Florence	Lumberton	15	13	32	43

A subchannel is a second stream from the same station, numbered like 3.2. Wilmington relies on one: WWAY carries ABC on 3 and CBS on 3.2, so one signal brings in two networks. The two moves in the next section created two more.

Spanish-language TV comes mostly from Telemundo. Charlotte has it on 9.2, Raleigh on 54, Greenville on 27 and Wilmington on 31. The Raleigh market also has Univision 40.

Where CBS and FOX went in 2025 and 2026

Two North Carolina markets lost a network station in the last year, and in both cases the network moved to a subchannel of a rival:

Market	Network	Old channel	Channel now	When
Greenville-New Bern	FOX	14 (WYDO)	12.2 (WCTI)	December 8, 2025
Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville	CBS	7 (WSPA)	4.3 (WYFF)	August 1, 2026

In the east, WYDO switched to the Roar network, according to its station history. FOX now shares a signal with ABC 12 and still uses the "Fox Eastern Carolina" name.

In the mountains, CBS ended a 70-year run on WSPA, which took The CW instead. CBS now runs on WYFF's third stream, and WYFF unveiled the "CBS Carolina" name on September 15, 2026.

If CBS or FOX vanished from your antenna lineup, scan again. Then look for 4.3 near Asheville or 12.2 near Greenville and New Bern.

Why some North Carolina channels won't come in

VHF, the band that covers channels 2 to 13, causes most antenna trouble in North Carolina. Compact indoor antennas pick it up poorly. The numbers on your screen can also mislead, because a station's display number is often not its real broadcast channel:

Market	Station on VHF	Shows as	Broadcasts on
Raleigh-Durham	WTVD (ABC), WNCN (CBS)	11, 17	VHF 9, 8
Greenville-New Bern	WCTI (ABC, with FOX on 12.2), WNCT (CBS, with the CW on 9.2)	12, 9	VHF 10, 12
Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville	WLOS (ABC), WSPA (CW)	13, 7	VHF 13, 11
Charlotte	WTVI (PBS Charlotte)	42	VHF 9
Myrtle Beach-Florence	WBTW (CBS)	13	VHF 13

Our finding: Greenville-New Bern leans on VHF more than any other North Carolina market. ABC, FOX and CBS all ride on VHF 10 and 12, and only NBC 7 uses UHF. Charlotte, Greensboro and Wilmington are the opposite: all four networks broadcast on UHF, so a basic antenna is usually enough. All 12 PBS North Carolina transmitters in these markets use UHF too.

Two stations have a UHF backup that your TV merges under the same number: WSPA on UHF 22 and PBS Charlotte on UHF 28. Elsewhere, the fix is an antenna with VHF-high elements, mounted high and aimed using the FCC reception map. In Raleigh, for example, a small window antenna often finds NBC 5 and FOX 50 but loses ABC 11 and CBS 17.

Ways to watch local channels in North Carolina

Spectrum is the largest cable company in North Carolina, and smaller cable and fiber providers serve parts of the state. Cable bills add a broadcast TV fee on top of the plan. The main ways to get your locals compare like this:

Option	What it costs	North Carolina locals	Watch out for
Antenna	One-time purchase	Every station in range	VHF stations, and the moved CBS and FOX subchannels
Cable (mainly Spectrum)	Spectrum Stream TV Signature from $100 a month for the first year	All main locals	Fees on top of the plan price, as our monthly cable cost guide shows
Live-TV streaming	YouTube TV $82.99 a month; DIRECTV Entertainment $89.99	The big-market stations in most ZIP codes	Check the Asheville CBS and New Bern FOX feeds for your ZIP code
Free station apps	Free	Local news	News only
IPTVZ	From $29.99 for 3 months, $74.99 for 12	Stations from Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Greenville, Wilmington and more	Needs a steady connection, about 15 Mbps per HD screen

Prices from spectrum.com, YouTube TV and DIRECTV, checked October 17, 2026. Over 12 months, IPTVZ comes to about $6.25 a month. For more options, see the cheapest live TV with local channels, or compare the two approaches in IPTV vs cable.

North Carolina local channels on IPTVZ

IPTVZ carries stations from every market serving North Carolina. We matched each one in our panel catalogue of October 16, 2026 by call sign, so the table reflects the station's current network:

Market	Confirmed on IPTVZ
Charlotte	CBS 3, ABC 9, NBC 36, FOX 46
Raleigh-Durham	NBC 5, ABC 11, CBS 17, WRDC 28, FOX 50
Greensboro-Winston-Salem	CBS 2, FOX 8, NBC 12, ABC 45, WMYV 48
Greenville-New Bern	NBC 7, CBS 9, ABC 12
Wilmington	CBS 3.2, NBC 6, FOX 26
Asheville area	NBC 4, ABC 13, FOX 21
Northeast (Norfolk market)	CBS 3, NBC 10, ABC 13, FOX 43
Lumberton (Myrtle Beach-Florence)	CBS 13, ABC 15, NBC 32, FOX 43

Our catalogue still files WSPA as CBS 7 and WYDO as FOX 14. Both stations changed networks, so we left them out until we confirm the feeds. Search the IPTVZ channel list for any station by name. Since IPTV runs over the internet, a Tar Heel who moves away can keep watching hometown news.

North Carolina sports on TV in 2026-27

The end of FanDuel Sports Network sent the Hornets and the Hurricanes to new TV homes for 2026-27:

• Hornets: local games are free over the air. They air on WSOC 9 and TV64 in Charlotte, WRDC in Raleigh and WMYV 48 in Greensboro. Elsewhere, Gray stations such as WITN, WECT and WHNS carry them. DAZN streams them for $19.99 a month or $119.99 a season, per the Hornets' viewing guide.
• Hurricanes: the team's own Hurricanes Hockey Network carries 72 of 84 regular-season games. It streams on Prime Video for $19.99 a month or $99.99 a season, without a paid Prime membership.
• Hurricanes on TV: Spectrum, DIRECTV and Fubo carry the network, and 10 "Saturday Night Hockey" games air free on stations such as WRAL and TV64, per the team's broadcast page.
• Panthers: most Sunday afternoon games air on the local FOX or CBS station, so the 4.3 and 12.2 moves matter on game day.
• ACC schools: UNC, Duke, NC State and Wake Forest games are spread across ABC, ESPN and ACC Network.

IPTVZ carries the North Carolina network stations that air NFL games, plus ESPN and the national sports networks. Our guide to the cheapest way to watch the NFL prices a full season. New to streaming TV? The explainer on how IPTV works covers the basics.

Local channels in North Carolina FAQ

How many TV markets serve North Carolina?

Eight. Five are based in the state: Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro-Winston-Salem, Greenville-New Bern and Wilmington. Asheville belongs to Greenville-Spartanburg, the northeast to Norfolk, and Lumberton to Myrtle Beach-Florence.

What channel is CBS in Asheville now?

CBS is on 4.3, a subchannel of WYFF, since August 1, 2026. Channel 7, WSPA, now carries The CW. Rescan your TV if CBS is missing.

What channel is FOX in Greenville and New Bern?

Over the air, FOX is on 12.2, part of ABC 12 (WCTI), since December 8, 2025. Channel 14 now carries a different network.

Why can't I get ABC 11 in Raleigh with an indoor antenna?

WTVD shows as 11 but broadcasts on VHF 9, which small indoor antennas handle poorly. CBS 17 has the same problem on VHF 8. An antenna rated for VHF-high, placed high, usually fixes both after a rescan.

What channel is CBS in Wilmington, North Carolina?

CBS is on 3.2, a subchannel of WWAY, which carries ABC on 3.

Where can I watch Hornets games in 2026-27?

Free over the air on WSOC 9 or TV64 in Charlotte, and on partner stations in the rest of the Carolinas. DAZN streams them for $19.99 a month.

Do I need cable for local channels in North Carolina?

No. All the network stations broadcast free over the air, and they also come with streaming services and IPTV. The Hurricanes are the part that needs a team stream or a specific provider.