How To Watch The Times Square Ball Drop Without Cable -— 2023 Edition!

All eyes will be on Times Square, New York, on New Year’s Eve as we prepare to say hello to 2023. Per the official Times Square website, revelers began celebrating New Year’s Eve in Times Square as early as 1904, but the now-iconic New Year’s Eve Ball made its debut in 1907. While we’re sure this year’s party will be a festive extravaganza, you (thankfully) don’t have to visit New York to celebrate the New Year.

NBC, ABC, CNN, and CBS (among many other networks) will be airing New Year’s Eve coverage. How can you watch the Times Square ball drop live online for free without cable? Decider’s got your back. Here’s everything you need to know.

WHEN DOES NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL DROP COVERAGE START?

New Year’s Eve coverage will air across a variety of networks and streaming services. Here are the start times for a few of our favorites:

• Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party With Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton (NBC/Peacock Premium): 10:30 p.m. ET to 12:30 a.m. ET on NBC and Peacock Premium.
• Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (ABC): 8:00 p.m. ET to 2:13 a.m. ET on ABC.
• Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen’s New Year’s Eve Coverage (CNN): New Year’s Eve Live begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on CNN. At 12:30 a.m. ET, the guys will hand over coverage to Don Lemon, who will be in New Orleans as the Central Time Zone rings in the New Year.
• New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash (CBS/Paramount+ Premium Subscribers): Part 1 of New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash airs tonight from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+, with Part 2 airing from 10:30 p.m. ET to 1:30 a.m. ET.
• Official Times Square Website Coverage: The free live webcast begins at 6:00 p.m. ET.

HOW TO WATCH THE NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL DROP WITHOUT CABLE FOR FREE:

You can ring in the New Year live via the official Times Square website, a Vimeo Times Square live stream, Facebook, NewYearsEve.nyc, and TimesSquareBall.net. The free live streams begin at 6:00 p.m. ET on December 31, 2022.

You can also stream New Year’s Eve coverage with an active subscription to an over-the-top streaming service that offers any of the aforementioned networks, including fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, or YouTube TV. FuboTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and YouTube TV offer free trials for eligible subscribers.

CAN I WATCH THE BALL DROP ON HULU?

You can watch tonight’s special New Year’s Eve events via Hulu + Live TV’s various live streams. Available for $69.99/month (which includes ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu), the service no longer offers a free trial.