Catch This NYE Special Whatever Your Plans Are

If you've decided to stay home this New Year's Eve, you've got plenty of options to keep you entertained until the clock strikes midnight. But nothing beats the classics, so you might just choose to tune in to Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC. But what if your New Year's Eve gets more exciting, and you suddenly have plans for the big night but still want to watch Seacrest ring in 2016 in all of his likable glory? Well, you're going to need to know how to stream New Year's Rockin' Eve online, now aren't you?

As live streaming programming from a network usually is, it's not going to be easy to watch this year's New Year's Rockin' Eve online or on your mobile device of choice. However, all of the effort will be worth it. That's because this year's special is jam-packed with goodies, as usual.

Most notably, the world premiere of Taylor Swift's music video for "Out of the Woods" will take place during the broadcast. For another, New Year's Rockin' Eve will live up to its name by featuring several musical performances, such as One Direction, Carrie Underwood, and Ellie Goulding. And of course, you'll be able to join Seacrest and his co-host Jenny McCarthy in counting down to when that big ball drops in Times Square, thus signifying a new year has begun.

So what are you waiting for? The new year isn't going to ring in itself. Read on to find out how to stream New Year's Rockin' Eve online so you can focus on partying the night away instead.

Stream It Through ABC

If you don't have access to an actual TV on New Year's Eve, live streaming New Year's Rockin' Eve through the official ABC website or the Watch ABC mobile app may be your best option. Through these platforms, you can live stream whatever is currently playing on ABC right from your computer or mobile device. All you have to do is boot these up starting at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 31 to catch all of the New Year's Rockin' Eve action.

However, there are a couple of catches to these methods. For one thing, live streaming through the ABC website or the Watch ABC app is only available in select United States markets. For another, you have to log in with a participating TV provider to access the content. Clearly, these options are only great for people who probably already have access to ABC on their TVs anyway. However, they could come in handy if you need to multitask to simultaneously see Seacrest's finely coiffed hair as you're raising your Champagne glass to a new year.

Stream It Through Your Cable Provider

Similar to the above option, some cable providers also allow you to live stream ABC and other networks through their websites and mobile apps. If this is something you have access to, your live streaming dilemma has been solved. If not, you'll just have to catch a glimpse of New Year's Rockin' Eve on a TV set through the window of a store or a house — you know, what people probably used to do on-the-go before there was such a thing as live streaming.

Just Watch The Ball Drop

If all you really watch New Year's Rockin' Eve for is to see that gigantic ball drop in Times Square, well then that's easy to live stream. A live stream of all of Times Square's New Year's Eve festivities will begin on Thursday, Dec. 31 at 5:55 p.m. ET and run until Friday, Jan. 1 at 12:15 a.m. ET through the official site of Times Square. A live stream is also available through the Official Times Square Ball app, which is free to download for iOS and Android devices.

But the great thing about New Year's Rockin' Eve is if you miss it, there's always next year.

Images: Ida Mae Astute/ABC; Giphy (3)