Funviralpark Two years ago, Times Square was mostly a ghost town. Last year, the crowd was back, albeit a bit tentatively. As we wrap up 2022, Manhattan could have a record number of people escorted through its doors that year.
This year ends at the stroke of midnight when Waterford’s crystal-encrusted ball drops and its 32,256 LEDs blast the crowd with light.
If you’re avoiding the big crowds and celebrating at home with friends and family, there are countless ways to watch the ball drop, even if you’re far from your TV screen.
Here’s how to watch or live stream the 2022 New Year’s Eve Countdown and Ball Drop for free.
Which TV channel shows a ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve?
Watching Times Square Ball Drop is actually easy to do even if you don’t have a cable subscription because it’s airing on so many networks. Get a good HD antenna (but test it in multiple locations around your home to find the most reliable signal well before midnight).
Here are some of the shows taking place in 2022.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and Ryan Seacrest (ABC)
The most famous New Year’s Eve broadcast begins at 8:00 PM ET. this is 18th Continuing to be hosted by Seacrest, this year’s event will take place in Times Square, Disneyland, Los Angeles and New Orleans. It will be broadcast over the air, but if you’re not near your TV, you can watch coverage at the network’s website, ABC.go.com. However, you’ll need a cable subscription to watch on that platform.
Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party (NBC)
Miley Cyrus and her godmother (yes, really) Dolly Parton will be in charge of NBC. This is the second year in a row that Cyrus has overseen hosting operations. It will air at 10:30 PM ET and will feature a musical and many other guests. You can watch it over the air or, if you have a cable/satellite subscription, on NBC’s website, NBC.com/live, or the Peacock app.
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash (CBS)
For the second year in a row, CBS has chosen to kick off the New Year’s scoop with this country music-themed show. Broadcast from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm ET and from 10:30 pm to 1:30 am ET, the celebration will feature artists such as Brooks & Dunn, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and The Zak Brown Band. Includes performance. Free options to view it include the CBS website and Paramount+.
New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen (CNN)
For the sixth year in a row, the cable network will pair the most famous anchors with Bravo hosts starting at 8pm ET. Live streams are available on the CNN.com homepage and on mobile devices via CNN’s iOS and Android apps. You can also watch on CNNgo and his CNNgo app for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV. The show will be broadcast from Times Square.
Where can I stream Ball Drop online for free without a cable subscription?
peacock
NBC’s streaming service gives you access to several games, including all Sunday night games. A 7-day free trial is followed by a $5 or $10 monthly fee. (The free version of Peacock does not include live sports.)
Paramount+
CBS’s streaming service gives you access to games aired on its network. You will be charged $5 or $10 per month after a 1 week free trial.
Disney+
Disney’s Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundles no longer have free trials, so you’ll have to pay $13.99/month for all three ($19.99/month if Hulu has no ads). Including Live TV in the bundle raises the price to $70/month ($76 without ads).
Hulu and Live TV
Free trials for this service are also no longer offered. It costs $70/month.
YouTube TV
After a trial of up to 2 weeks, you will be charged $65/month.
sling tv
Dish Network’s Sling recently increased in price. The lower ‘Orange’ plan costs $40 per month. Adding the more comprehensive “Blue” plan brings the cost to $55/month. ($5 monthly price increase each.) With the price increase, there is no longer a 7-day free trial, but the cord cutting service offers 50% off your first month bill.
DirecTV Stream
Formerly known as DirecTV Now, AT&T TVNow and AT&T TV, the streaming service often changes names and costs $70 or more per month after a free trial option.
Are there webcams online where I can watch the ball drop for free?
In the age of streaming, there may be plenty of Times Square revelers streaming the ball drop, but the best ones to watch are hosted on Times Square’s official website. can be accessed by either
TimesSquareNYC.org
NewYearseve.nyc
TimesSquareBall.net
You can also watch on social media at Times Square Facebook. twitter page.
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