Hulu ventured into new territory on Sunday night, streaming the Oscars live for the first time. However, their debut broadcast of the Academy Awards ended abruptly, causing chaos and disappointment among viewers. The livestream cut out just before two of the most anticipated awards—best actress and best picture—were announced. Instead of seeing these climactic moments, viewers were met with an error message indicating the event had concluded prematurely due to a scheduling system issue.
Outrage quickly spread across social media, particularly among those hosting Oscar-viewing parties who were looking forward to the ceremony’s final segments. As a result, Hulu audiences missed seeing Mikey Madison and the film “Anora” claim the evening’s top honors in real-time.
Hulu’s Oscars stream faced issues right from the start, with a number of users experiencing problems logging onto the platform due to another technical glitch. For some viewers, this meant missing the show’s musical opening performed by “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Disney, which has managed Hulu since 2019, issued an apology to viewers. In a statement, they acknowledged, “Last night, we faced technical and streaming issues on Hulu affecting some Oscars viewers. We are sorry for the disruption they experienced.”
The company further stated that a “full replay” of the broadcast, including Sunday night’s final moments, is now available on Hulu and Hulu via Disney+, their bundled streaming service.
Hulu’s Oscars livestream represents a broader trend, as more streaming platforms are investing heavily in broadcasting prominent live events, including award shows, major cultural moments, and sports events like the Super Bowl. However, not all attempts have gone smoothly.
For instance, Netflix encountered similar challenges, with users facing streaming and buffering difficulties during November’s Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight livestream. In 2023, fans of Netflix’s “Love Is Blind” experienced long delays before a live reunion special. Meanwhile, CBS All Access, now known as Paramount+, reportedly crashed for several viewers at the 2021 Super Bowl kickoff.
In the earlier days of streaming, Hulu’s higher-priced live TV service also faced disruptions at critical moments. It cut off early for some viewers during the final minutes of the 2018 Super Bowl, which the company attributed to a technical malfunction affecting NBC’s feed. At the time, Hulu Support reassured users of future improvements through a statement on social media.
While the Super Bowl frequently rotates between broadcast and streaming channels every year, the Oscars have been a staple on ABC for decades. The current contract with the Academy ensures that ABC will continue airing the Oscars until 2028, which will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the event.
Sunday marked a significant milestone as cord-cutters accessed the Oscars through standard Hulu plans for the first time. However, subscribers of Hulu Live TV have been enjoying this option in previous years. The ceremony also remains available on other live-streaming services that include ABC, such as YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV.