ABC’s annual “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” special brought the network its first big ratings win of the year.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest for the 20th year in a row, the telecast averaged 17.9 million viewers with a 4.7 rating among adults age 18-49 during Part 1 of its late night portion, which aired from 11:30 p.m. to 12:29 a.m. Viewership peaked during the midnight quarter-hour, reaching a total of 21.5 million and an 18-49 rating of 5.7. (All viewership data is measured by Nielsen.)

Those stats put ABC well above its competitors on New Year’s Eve. The special was the No. 1 program of the night, with CBS’ “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” hitting 6.9 million viewers during late night Part 1 and NBC’s “Day Drinking with Seth Meyers” reaching 1.5 million compared to ABC’s 17.9 million. Additionally, the late4 night portion brought ABC its most-watched entertainment telecast...