ABC's new year's rockin' eve

Photo Credit: Chris Willard / Disney

Tyla, Jelly Roll, Sabrina Carpenter, Megan Thee Stallion and more boost ABC’s ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ ratings with 29.3 million viewers.

An audience of 29.3 million tuned in to watch the ball drop on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” at midnight in delayed viewing, according to Nielsen figures and a report from TheWrap. The annual special saw a 32% increase in its audience in three days compared to the initial 22.2 million viewers from live and same-day data.

The special featured performances from Megan Thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter, Jelly Roll, Tyla, Renee Rapp, Coco Jones, and more. Produced by Dick Clark Productions, the special is executive produced by Ryan Seacrest, Michael Dempsey, and Barry Adelman.

This year, the show raked in 35% more total viewers — and those within the key broadcast demographic of adults 18-54 — within the three days following its airing. That marks the highest viewership for the special since 2020.

Additionally, social media drove up the special’s viewer count by 20% compared to last year. The celebration ranked No. 1 no New Year’s Eve as the primary driver of social video consumption. Primetime viewership from 10:30-11:30 PM ET reached 10.4 million viewers, a 30% increase from last year’s total viewership of 8 million.

ABC’s airing of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on New Year’s Day kept the viewership rolling in the network’s favor, as the most-watched entertainment broadcast program of the night. Airing for the first time on a broadcast network, the program reached 3.1 million total viewers, the most-watched telecast, and the highest rated in the key demographic since 2004.

In December, ABC’s airing of “The iHeart Radio Jingle Ball Tour” saw a 542% increase in total viewers and a 497% uptick in key demographic viewers compared to the special’s CW airing the prior year. Music programming is evidently a solid match for the Disney-owned network.