CBS Returns To New Year’s Eve Live Programming With ‘Nashville’s Big Bash’ Special Featuring Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn & More

CBS is throwing their hat into the New Year’s Eve concert special ring after two decades on the sidelines with New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash headlined by some of country’s biggest stars. The special will air live from downtown Nashville Dec. 31 (8-11:00 PM, ET/PT, 11:30 PM-1:30 AM, ET/PT) on CBS and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

The last time CBS had a NYE special was to mark the new millennium on Dec. 31, 1999. Prior to that, CBS aired annually a New Year’s Eve special featuring Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadian Band live from the Waldorf Astoria in NYC from December 31, 1956 until December 31, 1976. (It was on CBS radio for decades before that.) Over the past 22 years, CBS has largely run repeats/pre-recorded specials on New Year’s Eve as counter-programming to the live programming on ABC, NBC and, more recently, Fox.

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The first performers confirmed for New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash include Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Dan + Shay, Elle King, Darius Rucker, Cole Swindell and Zac Brown Band, with additional artists to be announced at a later date. The five-hour celebration will feature nearly 50 performances from locations across the city, including the mainstage in Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park anchored by headliners Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band and Dan + Shay. The broadcast will cross multiple time zones, with the traditional countdown at midnight ET, culminating with the renowned Nashville music note drop and fireworks at midnight CT.

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New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash reinforces CBS’ newfound commitment to country music, which includes taking over the CMT Music Awards and a slew of other specials, including a Kenny Rogers one announced yesterday. It also gives CBS’ NYE programming a different angle that sets it apart from the other live music specials. New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash is executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The special will be directed by Sandra Restrepo.

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