Hulu's first-ever Oscar livestream goes awry; viewers ending as ...

Hulu's first-ever livestream of the Academy Awards reportedly ended prematurely. This issue, which occurred due to a scheduling system error, cut off the Oscars 2025 streaming before the announcement of Best Actress and Best Picture awards.
According to a report by the news agency AP, viewers were met with an error message stating the event was over, causing widespread frustration and outrage online. This technical glitch caused many to miss the final moments of the awards ceremony, including the announcements of Mikey Madison (Best Actress) and "Anora" (Best Picture) as winners.
The streaming platform also experienced issues at the start of the show, with some users unable to log in, highlighting a series of technical difficulties during Hulu's Oscars debut, the report added. This suggests that some viewers may have also missed the show’s musical intro performed by “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

In a written statement sent to AP, the company wrote: “We experienced technical and live stream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscars viewers. We apologise for the experience.”
Disney also mentioned that a complete replay of the event is now accessible on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, the combined streaming package. This replay even includes the final moments of the Oscar broadcast.
Hulu's entry into covering the Oscars comes as more streaming services are investing heavily in live broadcasts of high-profile events, spanning from awards shows and pop culture highlights to major sporting events such as the Super Bowl.
However, this is not the first time that a major streaming platform has faced live event challenges. Hulu's recent stumble is one of several similar incidents.
For example, Netflix users experienced streaming and buffering issues during the widely-watched Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul fight in November 2024. In 2023, “Love Is Blind” fans encountered a lengthy delay ahead of a live reunion special.
Moreover, Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) reportedly crashed for many viewers at the start of the 2021 Super Bowl.