CHCH’s New Year’s Eve show draws record audience

1.27M viewers across Canada watched The Countdown to 2026 broadcast live from Hamilton.

CHCH TV’s live countdown on New Year’s Eve, broadcast in front of a studio audience from the station’s Hamilton studio, was the most watched all-Canadian program ringing in 2026 in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

More than 1.27 million viewers watched this year’s edition of The Countdown, its biggest audience yet in the fourth annual New Year’s Eve broadcast. Viewers tuned in on conventional TV via CHCH TV and CHEK, and streaming via Parrot TV and YouTube. 

Canadian rock bands Sloan and Big Wreck headlined the two-and-a-half hour special, hosted by veteran host and interviewer George Stroumboulopoulos. Rounding out the all-Canadian talent were performances by indie alternative artist Jasmyn Burke, Indigenous artist and dancer Miss Chief Rocka, comedian Crystal Ferrier, and podcasters Tracy & Martina.

The Countdown to 2026 was the second-most watched program overall in the GTHA, behind only ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. An audience of 891,000 watched The Countdown on CHCH TV, a 61 per cent increase over last year's program.