Thousands of people will pack into Times Square in New York City to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve. Fortunately, revelers don't have to weather the crowds — or the weather — in Manhattan to witness the iconic moment. The ball drop is broadcast and livestreamed on several New Year's Eve shows and programs.
Here are some ways to watch.
Times Square New Year's Eve 2024 Live Webcast
This commercial-free live webcast will stream hours of events leading up to the 11:59 p.m. ET ball drop.
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Co-hosted by "Mean Girls" star Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell, the event will feature musical performances by Mark Ambor, Mickey Guyton and more.
The free livestream begins at 6 p.m. ET. Watch here.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest on ABC
This annual New Year's Eve tradition features host Ryan Seacrest in his 20th year at the helm, co-hosts Rita Ora, Jeannie Mai and Rob Gronkowski and a variety of musical artists performing from around the globe.
This year’s headliner is Carrie Underwood, who will perform a medley of her biggest hits just before midnight. There will also be performances from artists including Blake Shelton, Alanis Morisette, Tinashe, Cody Johnson, TLC, Thomas Rhett, Kesha and more.
Watch live on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen on CNN
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen return for their eighth consecutive year as co-hosts for this CNN special. The special begins at 8 p.m. ET on CNN and will feature musical performances by 50 Cent, Sting, Meghan Trainor, Shania Twain and more.
At 12:30 a.m. ET, hosts Sara Sidner and Cari Champion will take over the celebration, counting down to the new year as the Central Time Zone rings in 2025 from Auditorium Shores in Austin, Texas.
The broadcast will stream live on CNN as well as on Max for subscribers and on CNN.com, CNN connected TV, and mobile apps for pay TV subscribers.
New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash on CBS
This year's Nashville's Big Bash features headliners Kane Brown and Jelly Roll, among other country music stars. The five-hour special begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS. You can also stream it live and on-demand on Paramount+.
Fun facts about the New Year's Eve ball drop
To impress your guests, here's some fun facts about the famous New Year's Eve tradition, according to the official Times Square website.
- The ball is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds.
- It's covered in more than 2,600 crystal triangles, with each sparkling pattern representing a different virtue: love, wisdom, happiness, goodwill, harmony, serenity, kindness, wonder, fortitude and imagination.
- The New Year's Eve ball first fell in 1907, welcoming 1908, though Times Square celebrations began at least three years earlier.
- The first ball was made of iron, wood and lightbulbs.
- The ball was lowered every year since except for 1942 and 1943, during the wartime "dimout" of New York City, a method of defense during World War II.
- "Time-balls" precede the Times Square New Year's Eve tradition. Balls have been "dropped" since at least the 1830s at England’s Royal Observatory at Greenwich, where a ball dropped at a set hour every day for captains to set their navigation tools.
A version of this story was first published in 2023. TODAY's Maddie Ellis contributed to this story.
