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

Tennessee TV markets and their channels

Each Tennessee TV market has its own ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations, and Nielsen calls each market a DMA, short for designated market area. Several markets cross state lines. Memphis serves north Mississippi and east Arkansas, Chattanooga reaches into Georgia, and the Tri-Cities market includes southwest Virginia. Our guide to local channels by state explains how markets work nationwide. Our Georgia guide covers Chattanooga's Georgia side, and the Virginia guide covers the Tri-Cities from Bristol.

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 Tennessee TV stations.

Market	Main Tennessee cities	ABC	CBS	NBC	FOX
Nashville	Nashville, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Franklin	2	5	4	17
Memphis	Memphis, Bartlett, Germantown	24	3	5	13
Knoxville	Knoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge	6	8	10	43
Chattanooga	Chattanooga, Cleveland	9	12	3	9.2
Tri-Cities	Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol	11.2	11	5	5.3
Jackson	Jackson, Lexington	7	7.3	39	16

A subchannel is a second stream from the same station, numbered like 9.2. Tennessee's smaller markets lean on them. In the Tri-Cities, for example, two stations carry all four networks: WJHL has CBS and ABC, and WCYB has NBC and FOX. Jackson's WBBJ carries both ABC and CBS.

Spanish-language TV is strongest in Nashville, with Univision 42, Telemundo and Estrella TV. Memphis has Telemundo 35 and Estrella TV 16.

Where FOX went in the Tri-Cities

On December 8, 2025, FOX moved from WEMT channel 39 to WCYB's third stream, 5.3, branded "Fox Tri-Cities." The two stations carried FOX side by side until January 12, 2026. Then WEMT switched to Roar, a classic-TV network, according to its station history:

Station	Before December 2025	Now
WCYB 5.3	Not FOX	FOX ("Fox Tri-Cities")
WEMT 39	FOX	Roar

If FOX disappeared from your antenna, scan again and look for 5.3. WCYB broadcasts on UHF 35, so most antennas that already get NBC 5 will find it.

Why some Tennessee channels won't come in

VHF, the band that covers channels 2 to 13, causes most antenna trouble in Tennessee. Compact indoor antennas pick it up poorly, and the hills of East Tennessee make it worse:

Market	Station on VHF	Shows as	Broadcasts on
Nashville	WSMV (NBC), WNPT (PBS)	4, 8	VHF 10, 7
Memphis	WHBQ (FOX)	13	VHF 13
Knoxville	WBIR (NBC)	10	VHF 10
Chattanooga	WRCB (NBC), WTVC (ABC, with FOX on 9.2), WDEF (CBS)	3, 9, 12	VHF 13, 9, 8
Tri-Cities	WJHL (CBS, with ABC on 11.2)	11	VHF 9

Our finding: Chattanooga is the only Tennessee market where all four networks depend on VHF, on channels 8, 9 and 13. The Tri-Cities come close: CBS and ABC share one VHF 9 signal, so a weak VHF antenna loses two networks at once. Jackson is the easy case, with every network on UHF.

The fix is an antenna with VHF elements, mounted high and aimed using the FCC reception map. In Nashville, for example, a small window antenna often finds ABC 2, CBS 5 and FOX 17 but loses NBC 4.

Ways to watch local channels in Tennessee

Xfinity is the largest cable company in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga, and Chattanooga's EPB fiber internet is fast enough to stream every option below. 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	Tennessee locals	Watch out for
Antenna	One-time purchase	Every station in range	VHF stations, hills, and FOX on 5.3 in the Tri-Cities
Cable (Xfinity and others)	A typical bill is about $125 a month with fees	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	Smaller markets like Jackson or the Tri-Cities may be incomplete
Free station apps	Free	Local news	News only
IPTVZ	From $29.99 for 3 months, $74.99 for 12	Stations from Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and more	Needs a steady connection, about 15 Mbps per HD screen

Streaming prices from 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.

Tennessee local channels on IPTVZ

IPTVZ carries the main stations of Tennessee's four largest markets. 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
Nashville	ABC 2, NBC 4, CBS 5, FOX 17
Memphis	CBS 3, NBC 5, FOX 13, ABC 24
Knoxville	ABC 6, CBS 8, NBC 10, FOX 43
Chattanooga	NBC 3, ABC 9, FOX 9.2, CBS 12
Tri-Cities	NBC 5, CBS 11
Jackson	ABC 7, FOX 16

Our catalogue still files WEMT as FOX 39, but that station now airs Roar, so we left it out. Search the IPTVZ channel list for any station by name. Since IPTV runs over the internet, a Memphis native living in Knoxville can still watch hometown news.

Tennessee sports on TV in 2026-27

The end of FanDuel Sports Network sent the Predators and the Grizzlies to new TV homes:

• Predators: Scripps Sports is the team's exclusive local TV home from 2026-27, with games free over the air. The flagship is WNPX, rebranded "The Spot, Nashville 28," per the Predators' announcement.
• Grizzlies: DAZN is the team's exclusive local home across a seven-state territory, with 78 of 80 available regular-season games. Some games also air free over the air.
• Titans: most Sunday afternoon games air on the local CBS station, such as CBS 5 in Nashville.
• Vols and Commodores: SEC games are spread across ABC, ESPN and SEC Network.

IPTVZ carries the Tennessee 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 Tennessee FAQ

How many TV markets are there in Tennessee?

Six are based in the state: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, the Tri-Cities and Jackson. A few border counties also watch markets centered in neighboring states.

What channel is FOX in the Tri-Cities now?

FOX is on 5.3, a subchannel of WCYB, since December 8, 2025. Channel 39, WEMT, now carries Roar. Rescan your TV if FOX is missing.

Why can't I get NBC 4 in Nashville with an indoor antenna?

WSMV shows as 4 but broadcasts on VHF 10, which small indoor antennas handle poorly. An antenna rated for VHF-high, placed as high as possible, usually fixes it after a rescan.

Which Chattanooga channels are on VHF?

All four networks: NBC 3 on VHF 13, ABC 9 with FOX 9.2 on VHF 9, and CBS 12 on VHF 8.

Where can I watch the Predators in 2026-27?

Free over the air on Scripps stations, led by WNPX, "The Spot, Nashville 28," across Middle Tennessee and nearby markets.

Do I need cable for local channels in Tennessee?

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