The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop Wasn't Shown in Its Entirety on TV — Here's Why
"Watched for three hours and they didn't even show the ball dropping?!"
Published Jan. 2 2026, 10:11 a.m. ET
When it comes to New Year's Eve, those who attend the event in New York City in Times Square and those who watch the event from home all have one thing in common: They want to see that ball drop. But when the ball dropped in 2025 to ring in 2026, people noticed that, well, the ball didn't actually drop on live television. Well, not in its entirety, anyway.
Now, people want to know why the ball didn't drop in New York City. The ball in question is the Constellation Ball, a 12-foot LED and crystal-covered ball that descends from a flagpole for 60 seconds beginning at 11:59 p.m. each year. The "drop" is more like a slow and careful crawl from the top of the pole to the bottom, which sits atop One Times Square. But when people tuned in to various networks on Dec. 31, 2025, they noticed that they didn't get to see the full drop.
Why did the NYE ball not drop in New York City?
After the event aired on TV, people shared videos across social media to prove that, when they watched the ball drop on ABC and other networks, they didn't actually see it touch down on top of the building at the end of the 60-second countdown. In one video shared on Instagram, at about three seconds, the camera pulls away from the countdown and shows a view from the crowds below. Then, there is a zoom on the countdown from two to one, and the ball is nowhere in sight.
One reason could be a delay in the broadcast. There is typically a 30-second delay in live broadcasts. It's possible that when the camera moved away from the direct shot of the ball drop, it missed the moment when the ball actually "fell." As one user commented on the Instagram video, though, the confetti was shot out before the timer even ended, which means people's view of the ball drop was obstructed quite a bit, regardless.
Other videos from Times Square that were taken by individuals who were there show the actual ball drop. One video someone shared on TikTok shows the entire countdown, including the second the ball touches the 2026 sign on top of One Times Square. As soon as it does, the lights on the ball go out, which might be another reason why viewers who watched the ball drop on one of the many networks where it aired live didn't actually see that moment.
Although none of the New Year's Eve organizers have publicly shared what might have happened for the ball drop to not be shown in its entirety on live TV, for the 2025 event, there was also another use for the ball for the first time. Ahead of the event, Today reported that, minutes after the ball drop, the Constellation Ball would re-emerge with an America-themed design in celebration of America's 250th birthday in 2026.
People claim the NYE countdown was off by a minute or two.
With live TV, things can go wrong at any time, and perhaps because of that, a delay in broadcast is present to help with any potential slip-ups. When it comes to New Year's Eve in Times Square, though, being live is key. So when people commented on TikTok videos of the ball drop to share that their phones told them it was midnight, a full one or two minutes before the actual televised countdown happened, it was more evidence of a delayed broadcast.