The 97th Academy Awards ceremony was marked by a major streaming disruption as Hulu's first-ever livestream of the Oscars faced widespread technical issues, leaving many viewers unable to access the event.
Streaming Failures Disrupt Key Moments
Around 6:30 p.m. ET, Hulu users began reporting problems, with the stream crashing or showing a random episode of "20/20" instead of the live Oscars coverage. As a result, tens of thousands of viewers missed key moments, including performances by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and the announcement of major winners.
Hulu's technical issues caused frustration among many subscribers, and over 34,000 complaints were logged on Down Detector. Fans flooded social media, expressing their disappointment with the service, with many demanding refunds for missing significant parts of the prestigious event.
Hulu Acknowledges the Issue
Hulu's support team took around 40 minutes to acknowledge the issue, confirming that they were investigating the technical glitch. The problem occurred despite Hulu having partnered with ABC to provide live streaming of the event.
The outage was a major blow for Hulu, especially considering the high advertising revenue generated by the event. Ad spots during the Oscars were priced between $1.7 million and $2.3 million, with Hulu having sold all available advertising slots.
Alternative Viewing Options
While the Hulu outage disrupted many viewers, there were alternative ways to catch the Oscars 2025 ceremony. ABC.com, the ABC app, and other streaming platforms like YouTube TV, FuboTV, DirecTV Stream, and Sling TV continued to broadcast the event.
For those unable to resolve their Hulu issues, these services offered free trials, providing a workaround for the Oscars viewing experience.
A Glitch in an Otherwise Historic Night
Despite the technical hiccups, the Oscars ceremony itself was a memorable affair. "Anora" dominated the evening, winning five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sean Baker, and Best Leading Actress for Mikey Madison.
Notable wins also included Adrien Brody for Best Leading Actor in The Brutalist and Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor in A Real Pain.