All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Out with the old, in with the new! It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2024 and welcome a new year. As you count down the hours and minutes to 2025, there are various ways to ring in the new year without feeling as though you dropped the ball on your plans.
What are the best ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve? That depends on whether you prefer to stay in or go out. There are plenty of New Year’s Eve parties, concerts and other events happening this weekend, such as Apple Music Live: NYE and plenty of Las Vegas residencies (including Bruno Mars and Janet Jackson) that’ll make staying home a more enticing idea.
Plus, you can keep it classic by watching the ball drop from New York City’s Time’s Square, indulge in live performances from your favorite artists, and catch all the hilarious (and viral) New Year’s Eve moments, without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Rather than scroll through your channels the day of, we put together a list of the most popular New Year’s Eve specials to tune into. See below for a list of NYE specials to watch this weekend. If you don’t already have cable, satellite or local channels via a TV antenna, we’ve also listed ways to watch and stream live and on-demand (use ExpressVPN or NordVPN to stream from outside of the U.S. on select platforms).
Here’s How to Watch the 2025 New Year’s Eve Specials
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will return for its 53rd year with Ryan Seacrest as the host with Rita Ora joining him on stage in Times Square as co-host starting Sunday (Dec. 31) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. You can expect a slew of performances by hit artists including Lenny Kravitz, Jonas Brothers, Teddy Swims, Alanis Morisette, and Cody Johnson.
If incase you miss the big event, the NYE special will stream live and on-demand the following day on Hulu + Live TV. Streaming plans start at $82.99/month for access to 90+ live channels, plus Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.
Other ways to watch: DirecTV Stream, Fubo, SlingTV.
CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash
Country rockstar Keith Urban will join Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel Smith in Nashville while Cody Alan and CBS anchor Lonnie Quinn provide coverage from NYC’s Times Square. You can look forward to a night filled with must-see performances from country music’s biggest superstars, including Kane Brown, Jelly Rol, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Tyler Hubbard, Miranda Lambert, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Brittney Spencer, Chris Stapleton, Zach Top and Lainey Wilson.
Watch CBS’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash on CBS on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 7:30-10 p.m. ET/PT and 10:30 p.m.-1:05 a.m. ET/PT and will be able to stream live and on-demand via Paramount+. You can get a a one-week free trial right now with streaming plans start at $7.99/month.
Other ways to watch: DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and SlingTV.
CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen
For their 8th consecutive year, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen return to co-host CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live airing live from New York City’s Times Square. The annual special is slated to air Sunday, Dec. 31 at 8pm ET on CNN and will feature performances and appearances from 50 Cent, Sting, Meghan Trainor, Shania Twain, Diplo, Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black.
No cable? No problem. You can stream CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live on DirecTV Stream, which is currently running a five-day free trial, as well as a limited-time $15 discount on your first two months.
Other ways to watch: Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, CNN.com (log-in required) and Max (also available on Prime here).
Back that Year Up: NYE Special
Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson host Back That Year Up now streaming on Peacock. The end-of-the-year special looks at the best moments in pop culture, sports, entertainment and more. In addition to Hart and Thompson, the special will feature appearances from Jon Hamm, Machine Gun Kelly, Mookie Betts, Blake Griffin, Jonquel Jones, and Kenny G.
Not signed up to Peacock? Subscribe now for only $7.99/month or without ads for $13.99/month and get access to the NYE special, alongside live sporting events, NBC and Bravo original’s, and hit movies.
DCP (Dick Clark Productions) is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.
