If you’re like most Americans, you’re probably ringing in the New Year from the comfort of your couch. And if you’re watching the ball drop on TV, chances are it’s on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. For decades, the broadcast has been the most-watched New Year’s Eve special in the United States, regularly dominating network television and drawing tens of millions of viewers—especially around midnight, when viewership has peaked at nearly 18 to 20 million in recent years.
But New Year’s Rockin’ Eve didn’t invent televised New Year’s celebrations—it reinvented them.
Before Dick Clark: Big Bands and Ballroom Elegance
Prior to the debut of New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in 1972, the most iconic New Year’s Eve broadcast belonged to bandleader Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. Beginning on radio in 1928 and later on CBS television from 1956 to 1976, Lombardo hosted an astonishing 48 consecutive New Year’s Eve broadcasts, typically live from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel ballroom in New York City.
Lombardo’s elegant, big-band sound defined New Year’s Eve for generations. His orchestra’s annual performance of “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight helped cement the song as a New Year’s tradition across North America. But by the late 1960s and early 1970s, the cultural tide was shifting.
A Youthful Rebellion on New Year’s Eve
At the time, Dick Clark was already a household name thanks to American Bandstand. As rock music and youth culture surged in popularity, Clark believed Lombardo’s formal broadcasts no longer resonated with younger audiences. He famously felt the specials appealed mostly to older viewers, featuring big-band music and “people dancing cheek-to-jowl in their tuxedos and funny hats.”
Clark envisioned something radically different: a New Year’s Eve show that reflected contemporary music, youth culture, and the energy of live celebration. The result was New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, a name chosen deliberately to contrast with the formality of Lombardo’s broadcasts.
The Birth of a New Tradition
The first edition, Three Dog Night’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, aired on NBC in 1972 and was hosted by the band itself. Dick Clark appeared as a reporter in Times Square, providing live coverage of the ball drop welcoming in 1973. The following year’s broadcast, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve ’74, was hosted by comedian George Carlin.
In 1974, the program moved to ABC, where Clark officially took over as host. That year’s lineup included Chicago as the headliner, with performances by The Beach Boys, The Doobie Brothers, Herbie Hancock, and Olivia Newton-John. Although the Times Square ball drop dated back to 1907, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve transformed it into a must-see television event watched around the world.
From Dick Clark to Ryan Seacrest
After Guy Lombardo’s death in 1977 and the gradual decline of CBS’s New Year’s specials, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve surged in popularity and became the undisputed centerpiece of American New Year’s Eve television. Dick Clark remained the face of the broadcast through 2004.
Following a stroke in 2005, Clark passed the hosting torch to Ryan Seacrest, who also assumed the role of executive producer. Seacrest has hosted solo since the 2012–13 edition, joined each year by rotating guest correspondents and performers.
A Bigger, Longer Celebration Than Ever
This year’s broadcast marks several milestones. Chicago’s New Year’s Eve celebrations will be featured for the first time, co-hosted by Chance the Rapper. Julianne Hough will join Rob Gronkowski as co-hosts for the Las Vegas segments. The late-night portion of the show will extend until 4:00 a.m. ET, making it the longest-running New Year’s Rockin’ Eve telecast in history.
Headlining the Times Square festivities is Diana Ross, appearing on the show for the first time ever. Her performance also coincides with the 50th anniversary of her No. 1 hit, “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To).”
More than half a century after its debut, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve remains what Dick Clark intended it to be from the start: a reflection of the moment, the music, and the millions of people welcoming a brand-new year together.