How to Watch the 2016 New Year's Eve Ball Drop Live Stream Online
Looking to ring in 2016 by watching the Times Square ball drop? Here's how to watch it live.
Most of us don't have the time or patience to wade through Times Square crowds on New Year's Eve, but you can still watch the 2016 ball drop at midnight for free online or on your television.
If you don't have an expanded cable subscription, you can watch the ball drop on the ABC broadcast network's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve or NBC's New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly. Without a television, either can be accessed online via ABC.go.com or NBC.com; or the networks' respective mobile apps—but all options require cable authentification.
Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the ABC special begins at 8 p.m. ET, and will feature performances from Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Demi Lovato, One Direction, Macklemore, Ellie Goulding, and more. The NBC special starts at 11:30 p.m. ET, and will include live appearances from Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Gwen Stefani, and Pharrell Williams. (For those wondering: MTV will not host a countdown special this year, instead opting for a marathon of Ridiculousness.)
Additionally, if you have a cable package, Fox News and CNN will host their own countdowns. Both will be available online or on mobile devices (cable authentification once again required). Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump will appear in the Fox News special.
If you don't have access to any of the above options, but have an Internet connection, you can live stream the ball drop from either TimeSquareNYC.org or TimesSquareBall.net, both of which will broadcast without any narration.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.