Dick Clark’s clever scheme – seamlessly blending live and taped bits into a New Year’s Eve party — has become something bigger and brasher.
This year, there will be six hours on ABC (shown here in a previous year) and five more on CBS, plus variations on CNN, NBC and PBS. There will be lots of live music – from New York, Nashville and beyond – alongside the parts taped in Los Angeles.
And in ABC’s case, there will be a title that seems longer than some shows. It’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025.”
Clark began the idea in 1972, in a cost-efficient way. He was live in Times Square, reporting on the crowd and the ball-drop. He also kept flashing to what seemed like an ongoing concert – actually, taped in advance – from Los Angeles.
Then others competed by using live music; Clark added live performances, along with his taped ones. He missed two Eves after a stroke, then returned alongside Seacrest … who took over completely after Clark’s death in 2012.
Now Seacrest hosts a marathon, facing steep competitions, A round-up:
ABC
— When: 8:10 p.m., then 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
— Host: Seacrest, with Rita Orr.
— Live music: Carrie Underwood does the last songs of 2024; the Jonas Brothers do the first of 2025. Also, Megan Moroney, TLC and British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
— Also: Luis Fonsi performs live in Puerto Rico (with Dayanara Torres hosting), where the new year arrives at 11 p.m. ET.
— More music, mostly taped from Los Angeles: Lenny Kravitz, Teddy Swims, Tinashe, Alanis Morissette, Renee Rapp, Natasha Bedingfield, T-Pain, Hardy, Kesha, Laufey. Also, country’s Cody Johnson, Thomas Rhett, Dasha, Ernest and (from Las Vegas) Blake Shelton. And, from Las Vegas, a “pass-the-mic” number with hip-hop stars Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh.
CBS
— When: 8-10 p.m., then 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
— Host: Keith Urban, with Rachel Smith. They’ll note the New Year in New York and – an hour later – in Nashville, where they’ll be.
— Music: Urban, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Shaboozey, Brittney Spencer, Parker McCollum, Tyler Hubbard, Zach Top.
CNN:
— When: 2:45-8 p.m. ET, then 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., then 12:30 and beyond.
— Hosts: First, Laura Coates in London and Boris Sanchez in Paris, noting the new year in Europe and the Atlantic. Then Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen in New York. And then Sara Sidner, Harry Enten and Cari Champion in Austin, Texas, for the arrival of the new year at 1 a.m. ET.
— Music: Sting, Meghan Trainor, Diplo, Shania Twain, 50 Cent, Mickey Guyton; they’re from various sites, including Times Square and Las Vegas.
— Comedians: Whitney Cummings, Adam Devine, Amy Sedaris and more, including the “Have I Got News For You” people – Amber Ruffin, Michael Ian Black and Roy Wood Jr.
PBS
— When: 8 p.m.; most stations will repeat it at 9:30.
— Music: Sara Bareilles, with the National Symphony Orchestra.
NBC
— When: 9-10:59 p.m.; then 11:30 p.m. to 12:37 a.m.
— What: Hota Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager host “A Toast to 2024.” Then Seth Meyers hosts a New Year’s special, built around his “Day Drinking” segments. At 12:37 a.m. is a rerun of the “Hot 10 of 2024” hour, produced by E, the pop culture channel.