Television has come far from the days when it showed the Guy Lombardo Orchestra each Dec. 31.
Dick Clark’s creation, “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” keeps prospering under Ryan Seacrest (shown here). But its competitors keep growing, including Fox with Steve Harvey and Maria Menounos (who’s feaured here under “stories,” at left) and NBC. Here’s a round-up for this year:
ABC
When: 8-11 p.m., 11:30 p.m. to 2:13 a.m.
Host: Seacrest, with Lucy Hale; also, Billy Porter in New Orleans, doing the Central Time Zone countdown; Ciara in Hollywood.
Special feature: Following Clark’s plan, this tapes advance performances in Hollywood, then blends them with live coverage.
Top acts: Post Malone in Times Square, along with BTS and Sam Hunt, plus Alanis Morissette with the cast of her “Jagged Little Pill” Broadway show. Also, the Jonas Brothers in Miami, Sheryl Crow and Usher in New Orleans.
More music: Pre-taped in Hollywood are Kelsea Ballerini, Ciara, Green Day, Paula Abdul, Dan + Shay, Salt-N-Pepa, Dua Lipa, Blanco Brown, Ava Max, Anthony Ramos and Megan Thee Stallion.
Fox
When? 8-10 p.m.; 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Host: Steve Harvey; with Maria Menounos and Rob Gronkowski.
Special features: The Village People try to break the record for the most people singing their “YMCA.” Also, there’s a wrestling match.
Top act: LL Cool J, with DJ Z-Trip, live from Times Square.
More music: Florida Georgia Line, Chainsmokers, Lumineers, Backstreet Boys, Tyga and the Killers; also, the new “Masked Singer” champion, Wayne Brady.
NBC
When? 10-11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; also, a separate show from 8-10 p.m.
Host: Carson Daly, with Julianne Hough and Stephen “tWitch” Boss; Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager host the earlier show.
Special feature: The early show, “A Toast to 2019,” is a sort of pop-culture year in review.
Top acts: Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, two of NBC’s “Voice” stars; also, Keith Urban in Nashville.
More music: Brett Eldredge, Ne-Yo, JulianneHough, Leslie Odom Jr., X Ambassadors, The Struts.
CNN
When? 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET, switching to New Orleans for another hour; then, reruns from 1:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. ET.
Hosts: Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, with Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon in New Orleans.
Special features: At 7 p.m ET., Tom Foreman hosts “All the Best, All the Worst 2019.” Throughout the night, reporters are in varied spots, from Key West, Florida to the “Brady Bunch” house in California.
Music people: Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz, Shania Twain, Patti Labelle, 50 Cent, the Chainsmokers; also, Keith Urban in Nashville.
ALSO
PBS wraps up its celebration early, with a “Sondheim Celebration” by the New York Philharmonic; that’s on “Live From Lincoln Center” at 8 p.m., rerunning from 9:30-11 p.m.
And at midnight, Disney repeats “Austin & Jessie & Allie New Year,” a 2012 scripted hour with music.