How To Watch The Times Square Ball Drop Without Cable — 2026 Edition!

See ya later, 2025! Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out. Tonight is all about the future as we welcome 2026 with open arms.

There are a ton of returning shows we can’t wait to watch in January, with The Pitt (HBO Max, January 8), Tell Me Lies (Hulu, January 13), Industry (HBO Max, January 11), Bridgerton (Netflix, January 29) and Shrinking (Apple TV, January 28) all set to return in the first month of 2026. But what about tonight?

If you want to celebrate 2026 by virtually heading to the Big Apple, Decider’s got your back. ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN will all be airing New Year’s Eve coverage, and you can stream all the New Year’s Eve action from Times Square for free via the Times Square website and various other platforms (more on that below).

3…2…1… Happy (almost) New Year! Here’s how to watch all the NYE festivities live without cable.

HOW TO WATCH THE NEW YEAR’S EVE TIMES SQUARE BALL DROP WITHOUT CABLE FOR FREE:

Ringing in 2026 is as easy as one, two, three… or in this case perhaps three…two…one? You can stream all the fun live for free 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.

NYE TIMES SQUARE LIVE STREAM OPTIONS:

You can stream ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest and CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash live with an active subscription to DIRECTV.

The only way to watch shows airing live without cable is by using a live TV streaming service. Our favorite is DIRECTV, which comes with a five-day free trial before payment begins.

DIRECTV offers a number of flexible subscription options, including Genre Packs, so you can best choose which streaming plans fit your needs and budget. Plans start at $49.99/month.

You can also watch ABC and CBS’ New Year’s Eve coverage with an active subscription to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, fuboTV, or Sling TV. Hulu, YouTube, and Fubo offer free trials for new subscribers.

NBC’s Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager-hosted A Toast to 2025! and CNN’s popular New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will stream live on Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV, and Sling TV.

Finally, you can also watch Andy and Anderson with CNN All Access, which is currently available for $34.99 for the first year (or $3.50 a month). We hope you have a happy, healthy, and safe 2026!