The main nationally televised New Year’s Eve show most people mean by “the NYE show” – Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC – starts at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and runs until 4 a.m. Eastern.

Quick Scoop

  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET on December 31 for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC.
  • End time: The broadcast is scheduled to go all the way until 4 a.m. ET, making it one of the longest NYE specials on TV.
  • Where to watch: Live on ABC; it is also available for streaming afterward on Hulu.

If you meant a different NYE show (like a CBS, CNN, or a specific city’s countdown), the exact start time can vary, but many of those also kick off their main primetime coverage around 8 p.m. local or Eastern time.

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