How to Watch Times Square New Year's Ball Drop: Live Stream, TV Broadcast

NEW YORK, NY — Huge New Year's Eve celebrations and parties will be thrown in cities around the globe, but watching the ball drop at Times Square remains one of the best ways to ring in the New Year.

But if you can't make it to Times Square — or you can make it but prefer not to be cramped into a tiny viewing pen with people who have been holding it in for hours — don't worry. With several different TV broadcasts and live streams you will be able to watch the ball drop in the comfort of your own home.

If you actually are heading into Times Square, check out this guide on everything you need to know, including security details, what to bring and public transportation.

Here's how to watch the Times Square ball drop on New Year's Eve:

TV Broadcasts:

With several different TV broadcasts all competing to show you the same exact thing, the choice really comes down to which host you prefer. Here are some of your main options.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest on ABC (8 p.m. start time):

Ryan Seacrest of "American Idol" fame is back to host ABC's New Year's Eve special for the 11th consecutive year. Joining Seacrest in Times Square will be Jenny McCarthy and reporting from Los Angeles will be pop star Fergie.

This broadcast will feature musical performances from Mariah Carey, DNCE, Gloria Estefan and the cast of Broadway's "On Your Feet," and country music star Thomas Rhett.

New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly on NBC (11:30 p.m. start time):

Carson Daly, host of "The Voice," will be in Times Square to host NBC's broadcast with co-host Mel B — once known as Scary Spice of the British pop group the Spice Girls. Many will also know Mel B from her role as a judge on "America's Got Talent."

This broadcast will feature musical performances by Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Pentatonix and Blake Shelton.

New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper And Kathy Griffin on CNN (8 p.m. start time):

CNN's Anderson Cooper and comedian Kathy Griffin will be back in Times Square to host their 10th straight New Year's Eve special. Cooper and Griffin will start their broadcast at 8 p.m. and hand it over to CNN's Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin at 12:30 a.m. — who will be reporting from New Orleans.

Because the broadcast is on CNN it will be less focused on entertainment and will instead feature reports from New Year's Eve celebrations across the United States. There will be no musical performances.

Leading up the broadcast will be the CNN program "All the Best, All the Worst 2016" which will air at 7 p.m.

Live Streams:

In the age of tablets and smart phones a TV is not required to watch the ball drop. Several different websites will offer live streams of the New Year's festivities, beginning as early as 6 p.m.

The Times Square Webcast will begin at 6 p.m. with the raising of the New Year's ball. The webcast will be hosted by the Times Square Alliance — which runs all Times Square official events — which will provide multiple sites to live stream.

Check out these links for a live stream of New Year's Eve in Times Square:

• TimesSquareNYC.org
• NewYearsEve.nyc
• TimesSquareBall.net

The above links should also work on mobile devices. Additionally Android and iPhone users can watch the live stream by downloading the Times Square Ball App.

Photo by Anthony Quintano via Flickr/Creative Commons