what streaming service has the ball drop

For the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop, there isn’t just one streaming service; several platforms and TV networks carry it each year.

Main streaming options

• Major TV networks with live-TV streamers usually carry their own New Year’s specials that show the ball drop, especially ABC (“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”), CNN, NBC, and Fox.

• Live TV streaming bundles such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo, and Sling typically include those channels in many markets, so if your package has ABC, CNN, NBC, or Fox, you can watch the ball drop through their apps.

Official and free online streams

• The Times Square Alliance provides an official, free global webcast of the New Year’s Eve ball drop on its website and via an embedded player that many sites mirror, so you can watch without a paid TV subscription.

• There are also official live streams of the Times Square event on platforms like YouTube, often labeled as the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop 2026 broadcast.

How to choose the best option

• If you want the “classic” network show with hosts, pick a live-TV streaming service that includes your favorite channel (often ABC for the most widely watched countdown).

• If you just want a simple, no-frills view of the actual ball drop, the free Times Square webcast or its mirrored YouTube stream is usually the easiest choice.

Bottom line: check which local channels you get in your live-TV streaming bundle, or use the official Times Square webcast/YouTube stream to be sure you see the ball drop.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.