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.