How to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve before 2025: A guide to all the TV specials
The countdown to 2025 is on.
Several New Year’s Eve specials will be broadcast on television on Tuesday, Dec. 31, as the world says goodbye to 2024.
Spectators can tune in to the classics, from Dick Clark’s annual “Rockin’ Eve” special with Ryan Seacrest to BFFs Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper’s epic drunk commentary (yes, they can booze this year!) on CNN.
Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb are hosting a NYE special, as well, ahead of Kotb’s final day on “Today.”
Here’s a guide to all of the TV specials that will broadcast on New Year’s Eve.
Seacrest is hosting the late Dick Clark’s NYE show for the 20th time. This year, he’ll be joined by Rita Ora in Times Square.
Dayanara Torres returns as co-host in Puerto Rico, while Jeannie Mai and Rob Gronkowski will lead the West Coast coverage.
The East Coast show will feature performances by Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, TLC, Lenny Kravitz, Teddy Swims, Tinashe, Cody Johnson, Thomas Rhett and Megan Moroney.
On the opposite side of the country, Alanis Morissette, Reneé Rapp, Dasha, Ernest, HARDY, Kesha, Laufey, Natasha Bedingfield and T-Pain will take the stage.
Also, Blake Shelton will perform in Las Vegas, while Luis Fonsi will put on a show in his native Puerto Rico.
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” will begin airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.
Cooper and Cohen are back for the eighth consecutive year as hosts of CNN’s NYE special.
Performers include 50 Cent, Sting, Meghan Trainor, Shania Twain, Diplo, Lil Jon, Mickey Guyton and Patti LaBelle.
Whitney Cummings, Amy Sedaris, Sasheer Zamata, Ziwe and Adam Devine will make appearances, as well.
Cooper and Cohen have confirmed they can drink alcohol on the telecast again, after booze was brought back to the show last year following the December 2022 drinking ban.
“After what Anderson did in that hurricane, I’m not only giving him tequila, I’m throwing it at him,” Cohen told Variety in October, referring to Cooper’s coverage of Hurricane Milton in Florida.
“New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” will air live on CNN starting at 8 p.m. ET and will also stream live on Max.
CBS’ “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” will start the party in downtown Nashville with a five-hour broadcast.
Keith Urban will co-host with Entertainment Tonight reporter Rachel Smith.
Urban will perform, as well, alongside Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Brittany Spencer, Luke Combs, Post Malone, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Tyler Hubbard and Eric Church.
“New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” begins airing at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
Kotb and Bush Hager will host the two-hour primetime special “A Toast to 2024!” on NBC.
They’ll be joined by Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg, George Lopez, Michael Bublé, Jeff Goldblum and more as they look back on the buzziest and brightest moments of 2024.
The special will also feature interviews with James Acaster, Andrea Canning, Kristin Chenoweth, Dylan Dreyer, Tokala Black Elk & Rex Linn, Belissa Escobedo & Pablo Castelblanco, Fortune Feimster, Willie Geist, David Alan Grier, Lester Holt, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Iseman, Kenny Jary, Carson Kressley, Adam Lambert, Preacher Lawson, Tom Llamas, Mayan Lopez, Loni Love, Howie Mandel, Chris Mann, Melissa Peterman, Joel McHale, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Craig Melvin, Keith Morrison & Josh Mankiewicz, Al Roker, Amber Ruffin, Rickey Smiley, Martha Stewart, Mike Tirico, Allison Tolman, Julio Vaqueiro & Nicole Suarez and Johnny Weir.
“A Toast to 2024!” airs from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on NBC.
The official ball drop countdown will broadcast live on the TimesSquareNYC.org website.
Coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ET and will also be available to stream on Hulu, fuboTV, YouTube TV and on the Times Square official X page.
When does the ball drop? How to watch New Year's Eve ball drop 2025 in every time zone
The New York City ball drop has been a tradition for over 100 years. The signal of a new year is a ball for New York and the East Coast, but those in the rest of the country have another hour, maybe three, before the new year.
So, if you’re hitting your couch to enjoy the start of the year, here’s how to enjoy the ball drop in Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.
The annual Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest and CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen both will air alongside the first ball drop in New York City. Keith Urban and Rachel Smith also host CBS’s Nashville’s Big Bash.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest
CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen
CBS’s Nashville’s Big Bash
CNN’s New Year’s Eve will leave Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen in New York and join Sara Snider, Harry Enten and Cari Champion at 11:30 p.m. CT in Austin, Texas, as they celebrate the new year.
Nashville's Big Bash will also have a ball drop live in Nashville, Tennessee, at midnight CT.
While the New York ball stays dropped the rest of the night, you can watch the above shows.
The ball will not drop again for viewers on the West Coast, but you can still ring in the new year with the above broadcasts in Pacific time.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: When's the ball drop? How to watch NYE 2025 in your time zone
How to watch Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest tonight
Are you ready for 2025? Well, ready or not, here comes New Year’s Eve, and with it, the annual Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (with Ryan Seacrest) special. This year, the ABC special will be hosted by, of course, Ryan Seacrest, alongside Rita Ora in Times Square. The special will have plenty of other co-hosts too, with NFL star Rob Gronkowski hosting from Las Vegas and Jeannie Mai covering the West Coast. Dayanara Torres will serve as a co-host in Puerto Rico. The 2025 NYE Ball Drop special will feature performances by Alanis Morissette (with Reneé Rapp), Kesha, Laufey, Natasha Bedingfield, T-Pain, Blake Shelton, Lenny Kravitz, The Jonas Brothers and Carrie Underwood.
Are you ready to ring in the New Year? Here’s what to know about how to watch Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, plus how to watch the NYE Ball Drop free livestream, CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen and more.
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve will air live on ABC.
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest will kick off at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
There will be performances by Alanis Morissette (with Reneé Rapp) Dasha, DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live! starring Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh, Ernest, HARDY, Kesha, Laufey, Natasha Bedingfield, T-Pain, Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Lenny Kravitz, Thomas Rhett, the Jonas Brothers and Carrie Underwood.
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (with Ryan Seacrest) isn’t the only festive option this New Year's Eve. There’s also CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on CNN (and streaming live on Max) and New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash! hosted by Rachel Smith and Kieth Urban, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS (and streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME).
There will be a free livestream of the Ball Drop on Timessquarenyc.org, offering commercial-free, webcast coverage of the Times Square festivities leading up to the Ball Drop at midnight. There will also be a livestream with open captions and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation available on YouTube. Both livestreams begin at 6 p.m. ET.
What Time Is ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve?’ Here’s How To Watch
The New Year is just around the corner, and there are plenty of programs to help you celebrate the start of 2025. For many, ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest is a must-watch to ring in the year ahead.
The main program will air live from Times Square in New York City, with Ryan Seacrest returning to host the iconic show for the 20th year. The American Idol veteran and Wheel of Fortune newcomer will team up with British pop star Rita Ora for MCing duties, while Dayanara Torres will co-host from Puerto Rico.
Read on for everything you need to know about tuning into the annual star-studded event, including the start time, how to watch, the musical performers, and more.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will start at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Dec. 31, on ABC.
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest airs live on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu the following day (Jan. 1).
If you don’t have cable, ABC is available on TV streaming services like Hulu+ Live TV, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, and SlingTV, all of which currently offer free trials—so you can watch tonight’s celebration at no cost.
This year also marks the second year of the special's partnership with iHeartMedia. The event will stream live on the iHeartRadio app and broadcast on over 150 iHeartRadio stations across the country.
Country superstar Carrie Underwood will return to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve for the third time and will headline this year’s celebration. After midnight, the Jonas Brothers will take the stage to mark the boy band’s 20th anniversary with a performance of their biggest hits.
Alanis Morissette will join the West Coast festivities, celebrating the 30th anniversary of her iconic album Jagged Little Pill. Meanwhile, Blake Shelton will bring the party to Las Vegas, performing his latest single, “Texas,” along with fan-favorite tracks.
The West Coast lineup also includes DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic Live!” featuring Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Slick Rick, and Doug E. Fresh; emerging country artists Dasha, Ernest, and Hardy; pop star Kesha; jazz-inspired pop artist Laufey; Natasha Bedingfield performing “Unwritten”; and T-Pain delivering a medley of his greatest hits.
Additional musical acts scheduled to perform include TLC, Thomas Rhett, CMA’s New Artist of the Year Megan Moroney, “Murder on the Dancefloor” singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Tinashe, Cody Johnson, Teddy Swims, Lenny Kravitz, and Luis Fonsi live from Puerto Rico.
