Anchored by “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest and fueled by a mix of performances from chart-topping artists and star-studded appearances, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2026” delivered its strongest performance in four years.
The long-running New Year’s Eve staple once again proved its staying power even after decades on the air, drawing the night’s largest audience and reaffirming its status as the go-to destination for viewers ringing in the new year across the country.
New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Scores the Best Ratings in 4 Years
GettyABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” averaged 18.8 million viewers during its key 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. time slot according to Nielsen ratings, up from last year‘s 17.9 million viewers, according to Variety.
This made the popular New Year’s Eve celebration the number 1 entertainment broadcast special of the night. The telecast peaked at midnight, when more than 30 million viewers tuned in to usher in the New Year as the ball dropped in Times Square, up from 29 million viewers last year.
According to ABC’s tabulation of Nielsen data, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” beat CBS’ “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” by +255% and also CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live” by an undisclosed amount.
The full event reached an average of 34 million total viewers across the night.
What Set This Year’s Show Apart?
GettyThis year’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” ran for nearly eight hours, which is the longest show in the franchise’s history. The broadcast began at 8 p.m. ET and ended at 4 a.m. ET.
The event, hosted by Seacrest and Rita Ora from New York’s Times Square, featured 42 performers across New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico and elsewhere.
The History of ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’
In 1972, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (NYRE) was created by Clark (known as the host of American Bandstand) as a way to compete with Guy Lombardo’s long-running New Year’s Eve specials and appeal to a younger audience, according to Remind Magazine.
The first two years were hosted by Three Dog Night and George Carlin, with Clark anchoring coverage from Times Square. When the show moved to ABC in 1974, Clark took over as host. In December 2004, Clark suffered a stroke. Due to lingering speech impediments from the stroke, Clark ceded hosting duties to Seacrest the following year, but he continued to make limited appearances on the show until his passing in April 2012.
GettySince 2000, the special has broadcast segments in prime time in addition to the late-night broadcast, initially occupying the 10 p.m. ET/PT hour. Since 2011, the special has represented the entirety of ABC’s primetime schedule on New Year’s Eve.
