Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest (1972- )

RunningVariety show

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest  is an annual television special that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. The special broadcasts from New York City's Times Square, and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop event, along with live and pre-recorded musical performances by popular musicians from Times Square and Hollywood, respectively. Its creator and namesake was the entertainer Dick Clark, who conceived New Year's Rockin' Eve as a younger-skewing competitor to Guy Lombardo's popular and long-running New Year's Eve big band broadcasts on CBS. The first two editions, which were hosted by Three Dog Night and George Carlin, respectively, and featured Dick Clark assuming the role of Times Square reporter, were broadcast by NBC for 1973 and 1974, respectively. In 1974-75, the program moved to its current home of ABC, and Clark assumed the role of host.

Following the death of Guy Lombardo and the decline of the Royal Canadians' special, New Year's Rockin' Eve grew in popularity, and became ingrained in pop culture—even prompting Clark himself to make appearances on other programs in parody of his role. To this day, New Year's Rockin' Eve has remained the highest-rated New Year's Eve special broadcast by the United States' major television networks; its 2012 edition peaked at 22.6 million home viewers—not including viewers watching from public locations which are not measured by Nielsen.

Network

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
2025-01-01Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025 - Part 2Jan 1, 2025
2024-12-31Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025 - Part 1Dec 31, 2024
2024-12-31Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025 - Part 2Dec 31, 2024
2024-12-31Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025 - Part 1Dec 31, 2024
2024-01-01Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 - Part 2Jan 1, 2024
View all episodesView all seasons

Frequently Asked Questions  Warning: Spoilers

When did Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest premiere?

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest premiered on December 31, 1972

Was the show known by the same title when it first aired in 1972?

No, the show was originally called "New Year's Rockin' Eve" when it first aired in 1972

Who was the host of "New Year's Rockin' Eve" in 1972?

The original host of "New Year's Rockin' Eve" in 1972 was Dick Clark.

Was Ryan Seacrest part of the original cast?

No, Ryan Seacrest did not join the show until 2005, so he was not part of the original cast in 1972.

Who were some of the performers on the first "New Year's Rockin' Eve"?

Some of the performers on the first "New Year's Rockin' Eve" in 1972 were Three Dog Night, Al Green, and Helen Reddy.

How long has the Times Square ball drop been a part of the show?

The Times Square ball drop has been a part of the show since its inception in 1972.

How many simultaneous celebrations of "New Year's Rockin' Eve" are there across the US?

"New Year's Rockin' Eve" has simultaneous celebrations in every US time zone, making it three in total.

Has the show ever been pre-taped or broadcast from a different location?

Yes, the show has been pre-taped in the past and has also been broadcast from different locations, such as Las Vegas.

Did the show always have a corresponding special for New Year's Day?

No, the New Year's Day special was not added until 2000.

Who replaced Dick Clark as the main host after his stroke in 2004?

Ryan Seacrest replaced Dick Clark as the main host after his stroke in 2004.

Cast

View all cast

Characters

View all characters

Also known as

  • Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (United States)

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Running

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Belly Conklin is about to turn 16, and she's headed to her favorite place in the world, Cousins Beach, to spend the summer with her family and the Fishers. Belly's grown up a lot over the past year, and she has a feeling that this summer is going to be different than all the summers before.

Emily in Paris
Running

Emily in Paris

After landing her dream job in Paris, Chicago marketing exec Emily Cooper embraces her adventurous new life while juggling work, friends and romance.

Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller
Running

Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller

Armed with National Geographic's trademark inside access, Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller takes viewers on a journey inside the most dangerous black markets on the planet. Each investigation in the eight-part series embeds with Peabody and duPont Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller as she explores the complex and often violent inner workings of a smuggling network. While she dives deeper and deeper into these underworlds, Mariana reveals - with characteristic boldness and empathy - that the people operating these trafficking rings are often a lot more like us than we realize.

GenreCrime
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins for Stand Up to Cancer
Running

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins for Stand Up to Cancer

In the first ever celebrity series of SAS: Who Dares Wins, 12 well-known faces embark on one of the toughest tests of their lives, to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. They're living and surviving together in an unforgiving ex-military base, high in the Chilean Andes. From the recruits' very first challenge - a terrifying backwards dive out of a helicopter - Ant Middleton and his team of ex-special forces instructors are determined to show them that no allowances will be made for their celebrity status.

Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine
Running

Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine

Dave Turin spent years working alongside Todd Hoffman and earned the nickname "Dozer Dave." Now, Dave is planning a spectacular return to gold mining, as he searches for a lost and abandoned mine to resurrect, and chase the gold the old-timers left behind.