Austin TV Stations: Every Local Channel and How to Watch Them

Austin TV stations list

Below is every main station in the Austin market. We built the list from FCC records and the RabbitEars Austin market list on October 19, 2026. Watch the "Broadcasts on" column: that's the real frequency your antenna must catch, and it rarely matches the number on your screen.

Channel	Network	Call sign	Broadcasts on
7	FOX ("FOX 7")	KTBC	VHF 7
14	MyNetworkTV and independent	KBVO (Llano)	UHF 27, plus UHF 31 in Austin
18	PBS ("Austin PBS")	KLRU	UHF 22
24	ABC	KVUE	UHF 33
24.2	Estrella TV	KVUE	UHF 33
36	NBC	KXAN-TV	UHF 21
42	CBS ("CBS Austin")	KEYE-TV	UHF 34
42.2	Telemundo ("Telemundo Austin")	KEYE-TV	UHF 34
54	The CW ("CW Austin")	KNVA	UHF 23
62	Univision ("Univision Austin")	KAKW-DT (Killeen)	VHF 13, plus UHF 36 in Austin
62.2	UniMás	KAKW-DT and KTFO-CD	VHF 13 and UHF 36

Two of those rows surprise people. Telemundo has no channel of its own in Austin: it is a subchannel of the CBS station, 42.2. And Univision's main station is licensed to Killeen and transmits from about 35 miles north-northwest of downtown. For most Austin homes, the copy of Univision 62 sent from the city's own tower group on UHF 36 is the easier one to receive.

A bit of history explains the low numbers. KTBC signed on as channel 7 on November 27, 1952, and was the first TV station in Austin and Central Texas. Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson owned it, and until KXAN arrived in 1965, KTBC carried CBS, NBC and ABC shows all on one channel, per the KTBC station record. Everyone who came later got a UHF number.

What channel is ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in Austin?

• ABC is channel 24, KVUE.
• CBS is channel 42, KEYE, branded CBS Austin.
• NBC is channel 36, KXAN.
• FOX is channel 7, KTBC.
• PBS is channel 18, KLRU, branded Austin PBS.
• The CW is channel 54, KNVA.

If FOX and CBS look swapped compared with what an old-timer told you, they were. In July 1995, KTBC and channel 42 traded networks after 43 years of CBS on channel 7: FOX moved to 7 and CBS went to 42, which then took the call letters KEYE, per the KEYE-TV station record. For every subchannel and the copies sent from other towers, see our guide to Austin channel numbers.

Just moved to Austin? Forget the numbers you knew. ABC is 24 here, but 12 in San Antonio, 13 in Houston and 8 in Dallas-Fort Worth. Our guide to local channels in Texas lines up every market.

Austin TV news stations

Austin has four English-language newsrooms on the main networks: KXAN on NBC 36, KVUE on ABC 24, FOX 7 Austin on KTBC and CBS Austin on KEYE 42. Univision Austin and Telemundo Austin carry Spanish-language news, and Spectrum News Austin runs local news around the clock for Spectrum customers.

Can you stream KVUE or KXAN news for free? For the newscasts, mostly yes: each station puts them on its own website and app. The full channel is another story, since network shows and most games are not part of those free streams.

Free subchannels on Austin TV

Each Austin station sends a few extra channels next to its main one, numbered like 7.2 or 24.3. They are called subchannels, and every one below is free with an antenna:

Channel	Network
7.2 to 7.6	Movies!, Buzzr, MeTV, Catchy Comedy, FOX Weather
14.2, 14.3, 14.4	Bounce TV, Antenna TV, ION Plus
18.2, 18.3, 18.4	Create, PBS Encore, PBS Kids
24.2 to 24.7	Estrella TV, True Crime Network, Quest, The Nest, Outlaw, Busted
36.2, 36.3	Cozi TV, ION
42.2, 42.3, 42.4	Telemundo, Charge!, Comet
54.2, 54.3, 54.4	Grit, Laff, Defy TV
62.2, 62.4, 62.5, 62.6	UniMás, ION Mystery, Dabl, ION

Subchannels change networks more often than main channels do. In July 2026 an Austin viewer noticed that one of them had swapped old sitcoms for procedural cop shows overnight. If a favorite subchannel vanishes or changes, rescan before you blame the antenna.

Which area the Austin stations cover

The same stations serve the whole Austin TV market, not only the city. It is the 34th-largest TV market in the US, with about 2.74 million people in 2025, per the TVB Austin market profile. The market includes Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, San Marcos, Bastrop and Lockhart, and stretches west into the Hill Country.

Low-power relay stations carry KNVA and KBVO to Round Rock, Georgetown, San Marcos, La Grange and Fredericksburg, which helps the edges of the market. Killeen and Temple belong to the Waco market, even though Univision Austin is licensed to Killeen. To the south, New Braunfels and everything beyond it watch San Antonio. Our guide to local channels by state explains how these market borders work across the country. Our San Antonio TV stations guide covers the market next door.

Why FOX 7 is the hard one on Austin antennas

FOX 7 is the Austin channel most antennas miss, because it is the only big Austin network still broadcasting on VHF. VHF is the older TV band, channels 2 to 13. Most small flat antennas sold today are built for UHF, the band every other Austin network uses, and they barely hear VHF at all.

Austin viewers have been piecing this together for years. A thread titled "I swear it is almost impossible to pick up all four local stations over the air" got 53 upvotes. The top reply: FOX "is a vhf station where the rest are uhf. Most small antennas are pretty bad at picking up vhf stations."

In a newer thread, a viewer bought an amplified antenna sold as "800 mile range" and still could not get FOX 7. Then the viewer found out why: the antenna was UHF-only. Turns out 800 miles of range does not help when you are tuned to the wrong band.

The opposite problem, getting FOX and nothing else, is usually a settings issue. One Austin viewer could tune only FOX 7 and its subchannels. A reply asked whether the TV was set to Cable instead of Antenna, and the answer came back: "Oh my god that fixed it." On cable settings, VHF channels happen to line up and UHF channels do not.

Our finding: We worked out the distance and direction of every main Austin tower from its coordinates. FOX 7 stands 4.2 miles northwest of downtown, at a bearing of about 315 degrees. ABC 24, CBS 42 and PBS 18 share a site 5.2 miles away at about 316 degrees, and NBC 36, CW 54 and the NextGen signal share another 5.3 miles away at about 320 degrees. In other words, nearly everything comes from one patch of hills near Loop 360. Univision's own VHF 13 transmitter is the outlier, about 35 miles north-northwest, which is why the UHF 36 copy from Austin matters.

Those hills are Buckman Mountain and Mount Larson, about 900 feet above sea level, west of MoPac near West Lake Hills, as KUT explained in its story on the West Austin towers. FOX 7 has its own tower on Mount Larson, a short hop from the others. From most of Austin they line up in the same direction, so one well-aimed antenna can catch them all.

Locals have their own directions for it. "Aim it towards westlake, to the huge group of antennas on the hill by 360," one wrote. Another viewer gets every channel "but I have line-of-sight to mt. Larson." Four things fix most Austin antenna problems:

1. Use an antenna rated for VHF and UHF, not a UHF-only flat model. The box usually says which bands it covers.
2. Aim it northwest, toward the towers near Loop 360, and put it as high as you can. Hills can block the signal in parts of Northwest Austin, Cedar Park and Round Rock, so an attic or roof spot helps a lot there.
3. Set the TV to Antenna or Air, not Cable, before you scan.
4. Rescan after every change. A scan only finds what the antenna hears at that moment.

Not sure your street can see the towers at all? Type your address into the FCC reception map before buying anything. It rates each Austin station as strong, moderate or weak at that spot.

NextGen TV in Austin

Yes, Austin has NextGen TV, on one shared signal. KXLK-CD switched to ATSC 3.0, the newer broadcast standard, on May 19, 2021, per the KXLK-CD station record. It carries NextGen versions of FOX 7, Univision 62 and UniMás from the Austin tower group on UHF 14. You need a NextGen-capable TV or tuner to see them.

That small detail can rescue FOX 7. The NextGen copy of FOX travels on UHF 14 instead of VHF 7, so a UHF antenna that never catches regular FOX 7 may pick up the NextGen one, if your TV has a NextGen tuner. Older TVs keep showing the regular channels, so nothing breaks if you skip it.

How to watch Austin local channels without cable

Austin viewers can pick from five ways to watch, and none of them is perfect:

Option	What it costs	Austin locals	Watch out for
Antenna	One-time purchase	Every station you can receive	FOX 7 on VHF with UHF-only antennas
Cable (Spectrum, Astound Grande and others)	Spectrum Stream TV Signature from $100 a month for the first year	All main locals	Broadcast TV surcharge, box fees, price after year one
Live-TV streaming (YouTube TV, DIRECTV streaming)	YouTube TV $82.99 a month; DIRECTV Entertainment $89.99	Main Austin locals	Lineups vary by ZIP code, so check yours first
Free station apps	Free	Local news streams from KXAN, KVUE, FOX 7 and CBS Austin	News only, not the full channel
IPTVZ	From $29.99 for 3 months, $74.99 for 12	All main Austin stations, FOX 7 to Univision 62	Needs a steady connection, about 15 Mbps per HD screen

Each one has a weak spot. The antenna is free but fights FOX 7. Cable is simple but adds a surcharge and box fees. Streaming and IPTV both lean on your internet, so a weak evening connection shows up as buffering, whatever the service. Prices from spectrum.com, YouTube TV and DIRECTV, checked October 17, 2026. Spectrum is the main cable company in Austin. Our guide to leaving Spectrum in Austin breaks down a real bill.

Every main Austin station is on the IPTVZ panel, going by our October 2026 check of its channel lists. That means FOX 7, KBVO 14, Austin PBS 18, ABC 24, NBC 36 and CBS 42. CW Austin 54, Univision Austin, UniMás and Telemundo Austin are there too. So are Spectrum News Austin, an Austin FC channel, ESPN and SEC Network, and the full IPTVZ channel list is searchable for anything else.

The 12-month plan works out to about $6.25 a month. Because FOX 7 arrives over the internet, the VHF problem simply goes away. Our guide to IPTV in Austin covers the speed and devices you need.

Longhorns, Austin FC and Austin sports on TV

In Austin, sports TV mostly means the Longhorns. Texas plays in the SEC, whose games air on ESPN's networks: ABC 24, ESPN, ESPN2, SEC Network and some streams on ESPN+. The old Longhorn Network ended when Texas joined the SEC in 2024, so there is no Longhorns-only channel any more.

• Austin FC plays in MLS, and from 2026 every MLS match is included with an Apple TV subscription, $14.99 a month, per Apple. The separate MLS Season Pass is gone. A few big matches also air on FOX 7 and FS1.
• Spurs games stream on DAZN in 2026-27, and Central Texas is inside the Spurs' DAZN territory. The Spurs even play a home game at Austin's Moody Center on October 23, against Houston, on Prime Video.
• NFL Sundays run on FOX 7 and CBS 42, with Sunday night on NBC 36 and Monday night on ESPN or ABC 24.

IPTVZ carries ESPN, ESPN2, SEC Network, the ESPN+ event channels, an Austin FC channel and the Austin network stations. Our guide to watching the Longhorns in the SEC prices every option for a full season, and students living on or near campus have their own shortcuts in our guide to TV for UT Austin students.

Spanish-language TV in Austin

Austin's Spanish-language channels are Univision on 62, UniMás on 62.2, Telemundo on 42.2 and Estrella TV on 24.2. Univision and UniMás come from a tower about 35 miles north-northwest on VHF 13 and from Austin's own tower group on UHF 36, while Telemundo and Estrella ride on the CBS and ABC signals, which most antennas receive easily.

Spanish speakers get Univision Austin, UniMás and Telemundo Austin on IPTVZ, with Galavisión alongside. Fútbol and other sports in Spanish come on FOX Deportes, ESPN Deportes and TUDN. Our guide to Spanish-language TV in San Antonio compares the paid options, and most of it applies in Austin too.

Austin local TV FAQ

What channel is FOX in Austin?

FOX is channel 7, KTBC, branded FOX 7. It broadcasts on VHF 7, the only big Austin network still on the VHF band, so it needs an antenna rated for VHF.

What channel is ABC in Austin?

ABC is channel 24, KVUE. Its signal is UHF 33, sent from Buckman Mountain alongside CBS 42 and PBS 18.

What channel is CBS in Austin?

CBS is channel 42, KEYE, branded CBS Austin. Telemundo Austin is its subchannel, 42.2.

What channel is NBC in Austin?

NBC is channel 36, KXAN. It broadcasts on UHF 21.

What channel is PBS in Austin?

PBS is channel 18, KLRU, branded Austin PBS. KLRU also produces Austin City Limits, the long-running PBS music series.

What channel is Telemundo in Austin?

Telemundo is 42.2, a subchannel of KEYE, the CBS station. It has no channel of its own in Austin.

Why can't I get FOX 7 on my antenna?

FOX 7 broadcasts on VHF, and many indoor antennas are UHF-only. Use an antenna rated for VHF and UHF, aim it northwest toward the towers near Loop 360, and rescan.

Which way should I point my antenna in Austin?

Toward the West Austin hills. KVUE, KXAN, CBS Austin and the other big stations transmit from Buckman Mountain and Mount Larson, near Loop 360 and Westlake.

How can I watch Austin FC in 2026?

Every Austin FC match is included with an Apple TV subscription, $14.99 a month. A few marquee matches also air on FOX and FS1.

Can I watch Austin channels outside Austin?

An antenna only works inside the Austin market. Online, location stops mattering: IPTVZ streams FOX 7, KVUE, KXAN and CBS Austin to any good connection.

The easiest way to get every Austin channel

• FOX 7, PBS 18, ABC 24, NBC 36 and CBS 42 are Austin's main networks.
• FOX 7 is on VHF, so use a VHF-rated antenna aimed northwest, set to Antenna, and rescan.
• For game days, ABC 24 is free with an antenna, and ESPN's channels and Apple TV cover the rest.
• IPTVZ carries FOX 7, KVUE, KXAN, CBS Austin and Univision for $74.99 a year.

The quickest way to find out is to watch your own channels for a day with the free IPTVZ trial. If FOX 7 is the station that keeps dropping, our guide to why Texas channels won't come in on an antenna walks through the VHF fix step by step.