Sunday night marked Hulu’s first time airing the Oscars live. But its Academy Awards debut ended on a chaotic and frustratingly premature note.
Hulu’s livestream cut off in the final moments of the show — with two major award categories, best actress and best picture, still to be announced because of a scheduling system issue. Those viewing the awards ceremony on Hulu instead saw an error code message that stated the event was over.
Viewer outrage, predictably, ensued online. Fans, including those throwing Oscar-viewing parties, eagerly await the final, pivotal moments of Hollywood’s biggest night. Hulu viewers missed Mikey Madison and “Anora” win the night’s titles for both best actress and best picture in real time.
The Hulu stream also had a rough start, with a few users reporting issues logging on to the platform due to another technical problem. For some, that meant missing the show’s musical intro performed by “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Disney, which has run Hulu since 2019, apologized to viewers.
“Yesterday evening, we experienced technical and live stream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscars viewers,” the company wrote in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday. “We apologize for the experience.”
Disney added that a “full replay” of the event is now available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, the streamers’ bundled offering. That replay includes the final moments of Sunday night’s show.
Hulu’s foray into the Oscars arrives as more streaming platforms are betting big on live programming of prominent events — from a handful of awards shows and pop culture moments, to major sports matchups like the Super Bowl.
But some have gone smoother than others. And Hulu’s stumble on Sunday was not the first among similar endeavors from today’s biggest streaming platforms.
Netflix users, for example, expressed frustrations with streaming and buffering problems before and during November’s widely-watched, livestream fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. And in 2023, the platform’s “Love Is Blind” fans also saw a lengthy delay ahead of a reunion special originally set to air live. Meanwhile, CBS All Access, now Paramount+, reportedly crashed for many viewers at the start of the 2021 Super Bowl.
And in the earlier days of streaming, Hulu’s more-expensive live TV service also cut off early for certain users in the final minutes of the 2018 Super Bowl — with the streamer citing a technical issue that it said impacted some of its feeds from NBC. “While the interruption could not have come at a more important time, we are confident we can prevent this in the future,” Hulu Support wrote on social media at the time.
While the Super Bowl bounces around between broadcast and streaming homes each year, the Oscars have aired on ABC for decades. The network’s contract with the Academy currently runs through 2028, a year that will mark the Oscars’ 100th anniversary.
Sunday marked the first time cord cutters could watch through standard Hulu plans, but subscribers of Hulu Live TV have been able to tune into the awards show in years past. The show has also continued to be available on other services offering live streaming of ABC, such as YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.
AP Writer Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this report.
