TORONTO — CBC is restoring its annual live New Year's Eve celebration.
A year after the national broadcaster cancelled the 2024 special due to "financial pressures," it says the countdown is back on the TV schedule to mark the dawn of 2025.
Programming begins Dec. 31 with the one-hour "22 Minutes New Year's Eve Pregame Special," a satirical reflection on the year passed with the cast of the political comedy series "This Hour Has 22 Minutes."
It will be followed by "Canada Live! Countdown 2025," a special hosted by news anchor Adrienne Arsenault and singer Jann Arden broadcasting live from Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, and anchor Ian Hanomansing and comedian Ali Hassan at Vancouver's VanDusen Botanical Garden.
The coast-to-coast show will feature CBC reporters across the country as they count down to the new year in each of the six time zones.
Last year, the CBC replaced its live New Year's programming with a taped Just For Laughs special hosted by comedian Mae Martin. It left Canadian viewers without a homegrown countdown on any of the major networks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
