CBS Faces Tech Issues During NYE Special, Temporarily Airs ‘Matlock’ Rerun

During CBS’s holiday special New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, technical issues disrupted the broadcast. Approximately 42.5 minutes into the program, a performance by Lainey Wilson was abruptly cut off. Viewers were greeted with a black screen before a string of promotional clips for CBS shows played.
CBS New Year’s Eve Special Details
Following the promotional messages, an episode of the legal drama Matlock unexpectedly aired mid-scene. The show, starring Kathy Bates, remained on air for a significant duration. Throughout this time, the network displayed messages indicating technical difficulties.
Interruption and Resumption
The broadcast showcased a crawl that initially read, “We are experiencing technical difficulties.” This was eventually changed to a more detailed message: “We are experiencing technical difficulties and programming will resume shortly.” After approximately 12 minutes of interruption, the show returned to Nashville’s Big Bash.
Co-Host Reaction
- Co-host Bert Kreischer addressed the outage live on air.
- He humorously remarked, “We lost power here in Nashville, and we got kicked off the air on CBS.”
- Kreischer and fellow host Hardy joked about the incident, denying any accidental unplugging of equipment.
Broadcast Timing
The special aired live on CBS and Paramount+ from 8 PM to 10 PM ET/PT and again from 10:30 PM to 1:30 AM ET/PT. Due to the late airing on the East Coast, the incident could not be edited before the broadcast reached the West Coast audience.




