For TV viewers, this will be a New Year’s Eve of fewer and more.
Fewer networks are trying full-scale, music parties. NBC announced one, then dropped it. Fox and the cable networks never got that far. Only ABC and CBS are going ahead.
But ABC’s will be bigger than ever. It will sprawl across four cities (including New York City, shown here) and run for eight hours (minus a newscast), with at least 40 performers and 85 songs.
Once you add some more things — a couple mostly-talk shows and some musical reruns — you have lots of choices. Details include:
— ABC goes from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., minus a half-hour for local news at 10. That’s 90 minutes longer thann usual.
Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora will be in Times Square, where Diana Ross will perform live. Coverage will also leap to Chicago (hosted by Chance the Rapper), Puerto Rico (Roselyn Sanchez hosts and Daddy Yankee performs) and — especially — a pre-recorded night in Las Vegas, hosted by Julianne Hough and Rob Gronkowski.
The night will have some long-familiar names — Mariah Carey, Rick Springfield, OneRepublic, Goo Goo Dolls, New Kids on the Block — plus such fresh names as Chappell Roan, Post Malone and the singing voices of HUNTR/X.
Country fans will recognize Little Big Town, Jordan Davis, Tucker Wetmore and Maren Morris. Rap fans will spot 50 Cent, BigXthaPlug and a “pass the mic” session with Busta Rhymes, T.I. and Wyclef Jean.
There’s more, including Charlie Puth, Ciara, Demi Lovato, Jess Glynne, Jesse Murph, Leon Thomas, Madison Beer, Pitbull, Zara Larsson, The All American Rejects, 4 Non Blondes and more.
— CBS will stick to Nashville (except for having Haley Baylee at Times Square). That’s from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., with a news break at 10.
Most of the acts will be country, but there are exceptions, including Marcus King and CeCe Winans with the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Other performers, scattered over multiple locations, include Hardy (who hosts with Bert Kreischer), Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Riley Green, Megan Monroneu, Zach Top, Gretchen Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Dwight Yoakam, Rascal Flatts and Brooks & Dunn.
— NBC announced plans for a Snoop Dogg party in Miami, then dropped it.
That leaves it only with a “Toast of 2025” special with Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush and, perhaps, lots of promos.
That runs from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and includes people from at least seven shows on NBC and six more on its Peacock streaming service, lus others from the upcoming Winter Olympics coverage.
It won’t all be promos, though. There will be NBC News people, plus lots of comedians, including Jim Gaffigan, Loni Love, Tom Papa, Wanda Sykes, Bobby Moynihan, Rob Riggle and more.
— Others had previously dropped out.
At various times, there were Eve parties on Fox and on some of the cable networks — MTV, A&E, The Nashville Network, etc. Now they’re out of the Eve business.
— CNN, however, will continue to take a big, global approach.
It will start at 7 a.m. ET and catch the new year in several countries, reaching the Arc de Triomphe in Paris at 2:45 p.m. The main portion — anchored by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen — goes from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., when Sara Sidner and Cari Champion take over in Austin,. Texas.
Music will be scattered throughout In the daytime, that includes Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Chris Isaak, Flo Rida, Cee Lo Green, Burna Boy, Cheat Codes and Aly & AJ.
During the Cooper/Cohen part, Robyn will perform live from Times Square. Other performers will be Brandi Carlile, Shakira, Aloe Blacc, Michelle Williams, Bryan Adams, Patti LaBelle and Brandy and Monica. The Austin portion will include Vince Gill and The Head and the Heart band.
— Beyond that, there are reruns — each from 8-10 p.m. — with ample music.
NBC has “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” with Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and more, including impressive visuals. CW has a vibrant documentary movie, looking back at the boy bands of the 1990s.
And PBS reruns a terrific concert, celeberating the 80th anniversary of the Rodgers & Hammerstein songwriting duo. There are great moments from stars in London (where this was taped), especially Marsha Wallace and Michael Ball … and from Broadway stars, including Audra McDonald, Aaron Tveit and Patrick Wilson.
That’s followed by a rerun of Joni Mitchell winning the Gershwin Prize. There’s music from Brandi Carlile, Herbie Hancock,Cyndi Lauper, Diana Krall and more. And it ends at 11:30 … in time for you to switch to another channel before the new year.