Watch 2025 New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Online
| Air Date: Tuesday, December 31 from 6pm ET / 3pm PT |
| Free Live Webcast: TimesSquareNYC.org |
| TV Network Coverage: ABC, CBS, CNN (8pm on), and Universo (from 10pm) |
| US Live Streams: Sling TV (ABC and CNN) | FuboTV (CBS, ABC, and Universo) |
| Watch anywhere: Stream from anywhere with NordVPN |
Watch 2025 New Year’s Eve Ball Drop: Preview
Pop open the bubbly and wave goodbye to 2024! New York’s annual Times Square celebration is famous for its vibrant spectacle, featuring A-list performers, fireworks, and that iconic ball drop, with millions of revelers elatedly watching as its descent ushers in a brand new year. Join the party with our guide below, explaining how to watch the 2025 New Year’s Eve ball drop online free – alongside some highly-anticipated TV coverage – from anywhere in the world with a VPN.
Bringing viewers all the action from the heart of Times Square, a live web feed will convey all the excitement as huge crowds gather in New York City’s neon-lit epicentre. Once again, Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell will host, overseeing a giddy night of incredible entertainment – including music from the Jonas Brothers, girl group TLC, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor – as spectators share their hopes and dreams for the year ahead.
Finally, New York mayor Eric Adams (and some very special guests) will inaugurate the highly-anticipated ball drop as the big moment arrives, showering the crowd with tons of colorful confetti as we collectively ring in the New Year.
And you don’t have to catch a plane, or even board a Greyhound bus, to be a part of it. It’s incredibly easy to access a live feed of the event, and stream a variety of high-profile TV specials too, no matter where you’re currently located. So, keep reading as we explain how to watch the 2025 New Year’s Eve ball drop online and 100% free from anywhere now.
Where to watch 2025 New Year’s Eve Ball Drop online for free in the US
There’s no shortage of ways to watch the 2025 New Year’s Eve ball drop in the US. The free live stream will be available without commercials through TimesSquareNYC and TimesSquareBall from 6pm ET / 3pm PT.
Meanwhile, multiple TV networks will be broadcasting their own high-profile specials, featuring a mix of exclusive, in-studio performances from A-list acts, while also reporting on events in Times Square and the much-lauded ball drop. Below we’ve listed the most popular along with how to watch them when they air on December 31 2024:
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. Co-hosted by Seacrest and Rita Ora, the special will air on ABC from 8pm ET / 5pm PT, and feature performances from Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Lenny Kravitz, and Teddy Swims. You can stream ABC live with a Fubo (currently $49.99 after 7-day free trial) or Sling TV Blue plan, or you could watch the programme on-demand the next day with Hulu.
New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash. Keith Urban and Rachel Smith will host on CBS, presenting music from hugely popular acts like Shaboozey, Jelly Roll, and Post Malone from 8pm ET / 5pm PT. You’ll want to grab a FuboTV plan, or alternatively, a Paramount Plus with Showtime membership ($12.99 per month after free trial), to stream CBS live online.
New Year’s Eve Live. Co-presented by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen on CNN, they’ll broadcast live from Times Square, with the New Year’s Eve special kicking off from 8pm ET / 5pm PT on December 31 and featuring performances from 50 Cent, Sting, Meghan Trainor and more. A Sling TV plan (Orange or Blue) will provide a live CNN stream, from $20 for your first month (and from $40 thereafter). Alternatively, watch the special on the Max streaming service, from $9.99 a month if you get the ad-supported plan.
Feliz! The Spanish-language show is hosted by Raúl de Molina and will air from 10pm ET / 7pm PT on the Universo challenge. Special guest spots haven’t yet been confirmed, but you can expect some of the hottest Latin music stars to take to the stage. Viewers will need a Fubo subscription (available from $49.99 after the week-long free trial) to watch Universo content on the night.
Overseas and want to access your US-only services as normal? We explain below how a VPN can help.
How to watch 2025 New Year’s Eve Ball Drop online from anywhere
If you're a US citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch the 2025 New Year’s Eve ball drop online just as you would at home.
While services like Sling TV and Paramount Plus block access from IP addresses outside of the US, there's a handy piece of software called a VPN that can change your IP address to make it look like you're accessing streaming services from any country in the world.
For example, US citizens overseas can subscribe to a VPN, join a US-based server and access their subscription from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.
Step-by-step of using a VPN to unblock:
1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for unblocking is NordVPN.
2. Connect to a server – for US streaming services, you'll want to connect to a server based in the US
3. Go to the stream you wish to access - for the 2025 New Year's Eve ball drop, head to a platform like Sling TV or Fubo.
Where Can I Watch The New Year’s Eve 2024 Ball Drop In Times Square?
Revelers are in luck as there are a variety of ways to watch the 2024 ball drop in Times Square, and all completely free. TimesSquareNYC.org and TimesSquareBall.net are among those websites streaming the event free and live from New York City’s Times Square.
TV networks like ABC and CNN will be airing their own annual specials, too, featuring a host of musical performances both in Times Square and from in their own studios. One of the most popular, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, airs on ABC from 8pm ET. The programme can be streamed live with Fubo or Sling TV, or on-demand the next day on Hulu.
Who’ll Be Performing At The 2025 New Year’s Eve Ball Drop In Times Square?
Just a few of the exciting acts confirmed to perform in Times Square on New Year’s Eve 2024 are the Jonas Brothers, Carrie Underwood, Megan Maroney, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and TLC, the bestselling female band in US history, in addition to singer Mark Ambor, who’ll take to the stage to perform hits like “Belong Together.”
Meanwhile, among the TV specials broadcast by ABC, CNN, and CBS will be exclusive performances from icons like Sting, Shania Twain, Billboard Hot 100 star Shaboozey, Keith Urban, and Alanis Morissette, and many, many more.
