How to Watch the Times Square Ball Drop Without Cable

Goodbye 2020, and hello 2021! Tonight, the United States will be ringing in the New Year with the annual Times Square ball drop in New York City. Of course, this year’s ball drop will look quite different without a screaming audience, but that won’t stop viewers from celebrating the end of this catastrophic year from the comfort of their homes (let’s hope!).

If this is your first year staying in on New Year’s Eve, you may be unsure how to watch the Times Square ball drop live. How can I watch the ball drop without cable? Can you watch the ball drop on Hulu? Here’s everything you need to know about the NYE 2021 ball drop!

WHEN DOES BALL DROP COVERAGE START?

Those interested in getting the party started before midnight can tune in to New Year’s Eve coverage earlier in the evening. The most popular New Year’s Eve specials begin at the following times:

NBC: New Years Eve 2021: 10 p.m. ET
ABC: Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest: 8 p.m. ET
CNN: New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen: 8 p.m. ET
Fox: New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2021: 8 p.m. ET

HOW TO WATCH THE BALL DROP WITHOUT CABLE: 2020 UPDATE

While the most popular New Year’s Eve celebrations will be taking place across the cable landscape, there are plenty of ways to watch without cable. Revelers without a cable log-in can watch each of the above networks live with an active subscription to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, or fuboTV. All three services offer free trials for new customers, so you can test them out for the ball drop and then cancel come 12:01 (or keep them, if you’d like!).

CAN YOU WATCH THE BALL DROP ON HULU?

In addition to Hulu + Live TV, regular Hulu customers can watch the ball drop at no additional cost via ABC News Live’s special, New Year’s Eve: Times Square Ball Drop. The live event begins at 6 p.m. ET and will run until the wee hours of 2021.

HOW TO WATCH THE BALL DROP ON ROKU

This year, Roku’s ABC News Live channel will livestream the the ball drop for free, so users don’t even need a cable log-in to tune in.

HOW TO WATCH NEW YEARS EVE ONLINE: MORE BALL DROP 2021 OPTIONS

In the mood for some nontraditional NYE coverage? The 2021 Times Square ball drop will also be streaming live online via TimesSquareNYC.org, NewYearsEve.nyc, and TimesSquareBall.net. Additionally, ball-watchers can catch the event live on Twitter @TimesSquareNYC or on Facebook at the Times Square NYC page.