Hulu’s Oscars 2025 Livestream Encounters Technical Glitch
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Hulu users were left disappointed during the 2025 Oscars as the streaming platform experienced widespread outages. The platform encountered technical difficulties during its first-ever livestream of the awards ceremony, leaving many viewers in the dark.
The issues were acknowledged by Hulu Support, who posted on social media, “Having issues logging in? If so — we’re on it! Our team is actively investigating, and we hope to have things back up and running soon.” However, the problems persisted, with over 34,000 outages reported around 6:30 pm ET during the 97th Academy Awards.
Users took to social media platforms to express their frustration with the outages, with one user lamenting, “So glad I pay $97 a month. Can’t wait to watch the Oscars 🙃 this is the second time this has happened in the last few months. Maybe I’ll switch to @YouTubeTV.” Another shared a screenshot showing the error message, “We’re having trouble loading this right now,” with the caption, “My favorite night of the year ruined by Hulu.”
This marked the first time that Hulu was streaming the awards ceremony live, with the Oscars also being broadcast on ABC simultaneously. Disney confirmed that all its advertising inventory for the event had been sold, with a 30-second ad spot costing between $1.7 and $2.3 million, similar to the rates for the 2024 show. The advertising slots were shared between the ABC telecast and Hulu’s stream.
Despite the technical issues faced by Hulu, the 2025 Oscars continued with performances by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, as well as Conan O’Brien’s monologue. The event was hosted by Conan O’Brien and aired on ABC, providing viewers with live updates on the winners and highlights of the evening.
As Hulu works to address the technical glitches that marred its Oscars livestream, the platform has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the outages. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges of streaming live events to a large audience and the importance of ensuring a seamless viewing experience for users.
The 97th annual Academy Awards saw a mix of anticipation and disappointment for Hulu users, as they missed out on part of the viewing experience due to the technical issues. The future of livestreaming major events like the Oscars will likely involve continued efforts to improve platform stability and reliability to prevent similar outages in the future.