A Resounding Victory: ABC Dominates New Year's Eve Broadcasts
Unprecedented Audience Engagement for Annual Celebration
ABC's widely anticipated annual special, 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve,' garnered an impressive 18.8 million viewers during the crucial 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET timeframe on the night of December 31st, 2025, extending into January 1st. This figure represents the program's highest viewership in four years, showcasing a notable 5 percent growth compared to the prior year's audience of 17.92 million. Network estimates further suggest that approximately 30 million individuals were tuned into ABC precisely at the stroke of midnight ET, with a staggering 34 million people engaging with at least a brief segment of the extensive New Year's festivities.
Competitive Landscape: ABC Leads Rivals in Key Time Slots
ABC's exceptional performance extended beyond the midnight hour, solidifying its leadership across various programming blocks. The network captured a substantial majority of the audience during the hour surrounding the East Coast's New Year's commencement. While CBS's 'New Year's Eve Live' attracted 5.3 million viewers during the same period, and specials on CNN and NBC trailed with 2.6 million and 2.13 million viewers respectively for their broader evening segments, ABC maintained a clear lead. Furthermore, ABC commanded primetime viewership, attracting 7.03 million viewers from 8-10 p.m. and 10.59 million from 10:30-11:30 p.m., and continued its dominance into the late-late night slot with 8.25 million viewers from 12:30-2 a.m. All segments of 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' demonstrated year-over-year growth, with the 12:30 a.m. portion seeing an extraordinary 85 percent increase.
Comparative Trends and Production Insights
In contrast to ABC's upward trajectory, CBS experienced a decline in viewership for both its primetime and late-night segments compared to the previous year. Conversely, CNN saw a 38 percent improvement in its overall New Year's Eve programming from 2024. Notably, NBC had not aired a late-night New Year's Eve special in the preceding year. 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' is a production of Dick Clark Productions, which operates under the umbrella of Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of The Hollywood Reporter, through a joint venture with Eldridge.