where to watch nye

Here are the main places and ways to watch New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2026 celebrations, including the Times Square ball drop and other big TV specials.

Top TV Specials

• Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026 airs on ABC starting around 8 p.m. ET and runs into the early hours, featuring Times Square performances and the ball drop.

• The special is also available afterward on Hulu as part of ABC’s coverage of the night.

• Many live TV streaming bundles that carry ABC (such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo or DirecTV Stream) also let you watch this special if ABC is in your channel lineup.

CNN & CBS Options

• CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” begins at 8 p.m. ET from Times Square, with global check‑ins and musical guests, and streams via CNN’s subscription streaming platform and apps for authenticated pay‑TV subscribers.

• “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” on CBS is a five‑hour country‑music‑heavy party from Nashville that also counts down time zones and airs on local CBS stations and Paramount+ (Premium tier).

Free Livestreams of the Ball Drop

• Times Square’s official organizers run a free global livestream of the New Year’s Eve 2026 ball drop and performances, viewable online without a cable subscription.

• USA Today and other news outlets host live streams that cut between celebrations across U.S. cities as the country rings in 2026.

If You Don’t Have Cable

• Use a live‑TV streaming trial from services that carry ABC or CBS in your area (for example Fubo, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, or Sling TV in selected markets) to watch the main specials and Times Square coverage.

• Or skip traditional TV entirely and choose a free online countdown/ball‑drop stream from Times Square or major news outlets on platforms like YouTube.

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