Where to Watch The 2026 New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Countdown Live Online

There’s no wrong way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Dinner and drinks with loved ones? Perfect! Counting down from a bar? Love it. But if you’re celebrating NYE from the comfort of your home, Decider’s here to help you make sense of the bevy of New Year’s Eve streaming options.

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper will once again be ringing in the new year, and you can watch all the fun on CNN or CNN All Access. But one programming note: Sadly, Cooper and Cohen’s NYE show won’t be streaming live on HBO Max this year.

ABC, NBC, and CBS will all be airing various specials, with the fan favorite Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Live starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Perhaps you’re in the mood for a little country music? If so, Bert Kreischer and country music star HARDY will host New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash on CBS and Paramount+. Over on NBC, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager will host A Toast to 2025!, which begins at 10:30 p.m. ET.

We hope you have a happy, healthy 2026! From start times to performers, here’s where you can watch New Year’s Eve coverage live online.

How To Watch The New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Countdown Live For Free Without Cable:

You can say hello to 2026 via the official Times Square website, Facebook, YouTube, or TimesSquareBall.net. There will also be a livestream with open captions and American Sign Language interpretation available on Youtube. The free live streams begin tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Additionally, free mobile streams are available on TimesSquareNYC.org and NewYearsEve.nyc.

Where To Watch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Live:

Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Where To Watch: The special will air live on ABC and be available for next-day streaming on Hulu. You can also stream live with an active subscription to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, fuboTV, DIRECTV, or Sling TV.

Hosts: Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora

Performers: Icon Diana Ross will headline the event, which will also include performances by 4 Non Blondes, 50 Cent, 6lack, AJR, BigXthaPlug, Chance the Rapper, Charlie Puth, Chappell Roan, Ciara, Demi Lovato, DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic Live! Starring Busta Rhymes, T.I. & Wyclef Jean, Filmore, Goo Goo Dolls, Jess Glynne, Jessie Murph, Jordan Davis, KPop Demon Hunters: The Singing Voices of HUNTR/X – EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, Leon Thomas, LE SSERAFIM, Lil Jon, Little Big Town, Madison Beer, Maren Morris, Mariah Carey, New Kids on the Block, OneRepublic, Pitbull, Post Malone, Rick Springfield, Russell Dickerson, The All-American Rejects, Tucker Wetmore, and Zara Larsson.

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper’s New Year’s Eve Special Live Streaming Options:

Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Where To Watch: New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will air on CNN, and on CNN’s mobile app and connected TV apps on Smart TVs. The special will also be available to stream on CNN’s new streaming service, CNN All Access, which is currently available for $34.99 for the first year (or $3.50 a month).

Unlike previous years, New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will not be streaming live on HBO Max. You can also stream the show live with an active subscription to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV, or Sling TV.

Performers: Per CNN, this year’s special will “feature music, comedy and some surprise guests, including Stephen Colbert, Robyn performing live from Times Square, Shakira performing from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, Brandy and Monica from The Boy Is Mine Tour presented by BPC, Bryan Adams from Madison Square Garden, Florence + The Machine, RAYE, mentalist Oz Perlman, Amy Sedaris, Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, Aloe Blacc, Patti LaBelle, Grammy and Tony Nominated Singer, Songwriter Michelle Williams, Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, comedians B.J. Novak, Leanne Morgan, Sarah Sherman and more.”

How To Stream New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash:

Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Where To Watch: You can stream the special live on CBS or Paramount+ Premium ($12.99/month). Free trials are available on Paramount+ and Amazon. You can also stream live with an active subscription to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, fuboTV, DIRECTV, or Sling TV.

Hosts: Bert Kreischer and country music star HARDY

Performers: The special will be headlined by Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman, and special guests CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The show will also feature performances by Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, and Stephen Wilson Jr.

NBC’s A Toast to 2025! Live Stream Info:

Start Time: 10:30 p.m. ET

Where To Watch: You can stream the special on NBC or the NBC website/app. You can also watch live with an active subscription to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV, or Sling TV.

Hosts: Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager

Synopsis: Per NBC, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager will be joined by a wide-ranging lineup of actors, athletes, comedians, TV personalities, and NBC News talent as they look back at the most unforgettable, buzziest, and inspiring moments of 2025.

Fox News NYE Live Stream Info:

Fox News will air four one-hour New Year’s Eve specials from 8:00-12:00: Who Can Forget 2025?, A New Year with Kat & Tyrus, The Five, and Jimmy Failla’s All-American New Year’s Bash.

Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Where To Watch: You can watch live on the FOX News Channel and FOX One, which is available for $19.99/month and offers a free seven-day trial.