How to watch Times Square Ball Drop: live stream New Year's Eve 2023 online from anywhere

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Ring in 2023 the NYC way

Watch Times Square Ball Drop
(Image credit: Getty Images / John Lamparsk)

It's a wonder that it caught on at all, but the Times Square Ball Drop for New Year's Eve has become one of the great American traditions. Whether you're planning to ring in 2023 by flipping the bird to a stinker of a year, cozying up with loved ones or sucking back on some of grandpa's old cough medicine, read on as we explain how to watch Ball Drop 2023 from anywhere - including FREE options.

Ball Drop 2023 live stream

Date: Saturday, December 31

Time: from 6pm ET / 5pm CT / 3pm PT

Venue: Times Square

FREE live stream: TimesSquareNYY.org / Vimeo / TimesSquareBall.net

TV channels: ABC via FREE fuboTV trial or CNN via Sling TV discount

Watch anywhere: try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30-days

The NYE spectacular always begins with the giant ball being hoisted above the streets of the Big Apple and illuminated with a flick of that famous oversized switch. That's scheduled to happen at 6pm ET / 5pm CT / 3pm PT, and at the top of every hour we'll get a countdown to midnight. 

The main event is, of course, the Ball Drop itself, which will commence at 11.59pm ET / 10.59pm CT / 8.59pm PT and slam 2022 shut like a ginormous gleaming metaphor from up high.

An official Times Square webcast will be live streaming the event in its entirety, with Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell co-hosting on location, interviewing special guests and offering behind-the-scenes look at the festivities between live musical performances from acts including Chelsea Cutler, who'll be performing John Lennon’s “Imagine”, and JVKE. 

From 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT, however, ABC and CNN will muscle in on the action with their own live coverage from Times Square. ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest will feature performances from Wiz Khalifa, Ciara, Shaggy, Duran Duran, and J-Hope from BTS, while Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will be front and center of CNN's New Year’s Eve Live show, which – if boozy – could get very lively indeed.

Featuring A-listers, D-listers, and everything in between, scroll down to find out how to watch a Ball Drop 2023 live stream from anywhere.

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How to live stream Ball Drop 2023 for FREE

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As ever, the 2023 Ball Drop is available to live stream for free on an array of websites and apps. These include:

 - TimesSquareNYY.org
- Vimeo
- TimesSquareBall.net
- Facebook
- Twitter

The live stream begins as the ball is illuminated and raised above the streets of New York at 6pm ET / 5pm CT / 3pm PT on New Year's Eve, and will run for more than six hours.

Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell are co-hosting the coverage, which will feature live musical performances, behind-the-scenes segments, hourly countdowns, interviews and anecdotes, special guest appearances and, of course, the Ball Drop itself.

How to watch Ball Drop 2023 on US TV without cable

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Of course, numerous TV networks will also be airing elements of the Times Square jamboree and Ball Drop.

The biggest one of all is ABC, via the incomparable Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest, which begins at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT and ends at 2am ET / 1am CT / 11pm PT. Seacrest will be anchoring proceedings alongide Liza Koshy and Jessie James Decker in Times Square, and performers include Wiz Khalifa, Ciara, Shaggy, Duran Duran, and J-Hope from BTS.

CNN is the other major network that'll be going hard at Times Square via its New Year’s Eve Live show, which is to be co-hosted by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, both of whom will hopefully be very, very tipsy and loose. Again, coverage starts at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT, but Don Lemon will give you a reason to stick around until late, with coverage switching to New Orleans at 12.30am ET / 11.30pm CT / 9.30pm PT. 

If you get those channels through your TV package, you're all set.

How to watch Ball Drop 2023 on TV without cable

If you don't have ABC or CNN on cable, don't worry. 

The excellent and comprehensive over-the-top streaming service fuboTV carries ABC as part of its line-up of more than 100 channels, and is priced from $64.99 a month. 

It's really easy to sign up for, and can be cancelled no questions asked. But best of all, it offers a FREE 7-day fuboTV trial, so you can see if it's right for you before parting with your money.

CNN, meanwhile, is available via OTT streaming service Sling TV. A subscription normally costs $40 a month, but if you're new to the service you can get your first month half-price.

How to watch Ball Drop 2023 from outside your country

If you're ringing in the New Year from abroad this year but fancy a taste of home, you might not be able to live stream Ball Drop 2023 as you would at home, due to annoying geo-restrictions. 

However, you'll be able to get around any blocks by using a VPN or virtual private network. It's completely legal, very affordable, and easy to use - and it also encrypts your browsing, offering protection against cybercriminals and government snooping.

Use a VPN to watch Ball Drop 2023 from anywhere

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ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN right now
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You can also use it across a huge range of devices, including Android and Apple smartphones, the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. If you want to stay safe online and watch your preferred broadcast from anywhere, you won't find anything better than ExpressVPN.

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Aatif Sulleyman
Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.