Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will stream live on Disney+ alongside ABC on Dec. 31, a first for the show. Rita Ora, Julianne Hough and Rob Gronkowski return.
This year, you can watch the ball drop with Ryan Seacrest right in the Disney+ app.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will stream live on Disney+ on Dec. 31, at the same time it airs on ABC. ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced the news on Oct. 6.
It’s the first time the show will stream live on Disney+, according to Variety.
How can you watch New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on Disney+?
If you have Disney+, you’ll be able to watch the broadcast live in the app on New Year’s Eve. Disney hasn’t said whether every Disney+ plan will include the live stream, so check your account closer to the date. The show also airs on ABC as usual, and iHeartRadio is part of the coverage too.
The broadcast starts at 8 p.m. Eastern and runs about eight hours, ABC7 reported.
Last year, Disney streaming fans had to wait. The 2025-26 broadcast aired live on ABC from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Eastern and only showed up on Hulu the next day.
Who is hosting New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2027?
The lineup looks a lot like last year’s:
Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora host from Times Square in New York
Julianne Hough and Rob Gronkowski host from Las Vegas
Comedian Druski joins from Chicago
Last year, Chance the Rapper hosted the Chicago segment, so Druski is the one new face in the lineup. Performers haven’t been announced yet.
Why is New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on Disney+?
Disney owns ABC, so putting the show on Disney+ keeps viewers inside the Disney family. It’s also part of a bigger push to put live events on Disney+.
Disney+ has been adding live TV, including sports. Pirates & Princesses reported on Oct. 7 that Super Bowl 2027 will stream on Disney+, along with two Monday Night Football games.
New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is a natural fit. It’s one of the biggest nights of the year for ABC, and it’s the kind of live event people want to watch as it happens.
How many people watch New Year’s Rockin’ Eve?
A lot. Last year’s broadcast drew 30.01 million viewers at midnight, WDW News Today reported.
Across the half hour around midnight, it averaged about 19.6 million. That was the show’s best performance in four years.
Streaming the show live on Disney+ could push those numbers even higher, especially with younger viewers who don’t have cable.
How long has New Year’s Rockin’ Eve been on TV?
The show started in 1972, created by Dick Clark. It debuted on NBC and moved to ABC a couple of years later, where it has stayed ever since.
Clark hosted for decades and became the face of New Year’s Eve in America. He suffered a stroke in late 2004, and Ryan Seacrest joined the show as co-host the next year. Clark kept appearing alongside him until his death in 2012.
Seacrest has led the show ever since. This New Year’s Eve will be his 22nd.
What time does the ball drop on Disney+?
The ball drops at midnight Eastern, same as always. Since the stream is live, Disney+ viewers will see it at the same moment as ABC viewers.
Disney hasn’t said how the Disney+ stream will handle viewers in other time zones, so check the app on Dec. 31.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
WDW News Today, Oct. 7, 2026: Disney+ live stream, Variety’s “first time” report, hosts, last year’s ratings
MickeyBlog, Oct. 8, 2026: host lineup
ABC7 Los Angeles, Oct. 7, 2026: start time and length
What’s On Disney Plus, Dec. 3, 2025: 2025-26 broadcast and Hulu streaming
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