Hulu cuts Oscars live stream
March 3, 2025
US streaming service Hulu ended its broadcast prematurely during its inaugural live stream of the Academy Awards for on-demand subscribers on March 2nd, causing viewers to miss several of the ceremony’s key moments and award presentations.
The live show was supposed to be a landmark event for the platform, marking the first time Hulu had offered the Oscars live to its on-demand customers rather than exclusively through its Live TV tier. The glitch came just after the Best Actor award when Hulu’s stream abruptly cut to a ‘Thanks for Watching’ message followed by a loop of commercials. Several high-profile categories – including Best Actress, Best Director and Best Picture – had yet to be announced.
Hulu’s decision to extend live streaming access to its broader on-demand subscriber base was initially met with excitement, broadening the Oscars’ reach beyond traditional broadcast limits. Traditioanally, the Academy Awards have aired on ABC in the US, with streaming alternatives limited to services such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV or Sling TV. This year’s expansion aimed to capture younger, cord-cutting audiences who sway towards on-demand platforms but still appreciate live events.
Speaking to Variety on the ceremony’s red carpet, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos suggested that they will be bidding on future rights to the Oscars.
Reacting to Hulu’s blackout, Brad Altfest, MD of Media and Entertainment at Agora, commented: “Hulu’s Oscars streaming failure is a clear reminder that live TV streaming still struggles to match the reliability of traditional broadcasts. A seamless digital experience is the goal, but when a major event like the Academy Awards is plagued by outages and abrupt cutoffs, it highlights a persistent gap between ambition and execution. The issue isn’t just technical—it’s about trust. Viewers expect streaming services to deliver an experience at least as reliable as cable or over-the-air broadcasts. If streaming platforms want to position themselves as the future of live entertainment, they can’t afford to fail at the moments that matter most.”
“Beyond reliability, streaming services have a chance to enhance live events with interactive features – real-time voting, behind-the-scenes access, or multi-angle viewing. But until they solve basic problems like latency, capacity planning, and real-time error recovery, the conversation will stay focused on their failures instead of their potential. Hulu’s Oscars mishap isn’t just a one-night problem – it’s a wake-up call for streamers to get it right if they want to compete in live events,” added Altfest.
The Oscars ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, saw Anora win Best Picture, whilst Mikey Madison won Best Actress (for Anora) and Adrien Brody won Best Actor (for The Brutalist).
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