Hulu apologizes for an unpardonable Oscars live-streaming mistake, and what's embarrassing is this has happened before

On the evening of March 2, 2025, Hulu’s live stream of the Oscar’s, broadcast on ABC and available via Hulu + Live TV, encountered a critical issue. The stream ended early, before the announcement of the Best Actress and Best Picture awards, displaying a “thank you for watching” message that falsely claimed the live event had concluded. This scheduling error meant viewers missed key moments, including the acceptance speeches, which ran longer than anticipated, with Hulu setting the ending time at 10:32 PM ET.

Earlier in the evening, thousands of users reported login issues, with over 34,000 complaints logged on Downdetector by 4:24 PM PT. Hulu’s support account on X responded, stating, “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.” The login problem was resolved slightly before 9 PM ET, but the premature stream termination added to viewer frustration, with social media platforms lighting up with complaints.

Disney, the parent company of Hulu, issued an official statement: “We experienced technical and live stream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscar’s viewers. We apologize for the experience and will make a full replay available as soon as possible,” The Verge reported.

This incident is not unprecedented for Hulu or the streaming industry. A notable past failure occurred during Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018, when Hulu’s live stream cut out for some subscribers during the final minutes of the game, just as the New England Patriots attempted a last-ditch effort to tie the score against the Philadelphia Eagles. The issue was attributed to an error in Hulu’s system for extending live programming past its scheduled endpoint, affecting a “small percentage” of users, though exact numbers were not disclosed. In response, Hulu offered a free month of live TV to impacted customers.

Beyond Hulu, other major streaming platforms have faced similar challenges during live events:

• Peacock’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics issues: During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, experienced significant streaming difficulties. Viewers reported buffering, poor quality, and difficulty accessing content. This was particularly frustrating given NBC’s push to boost Peacock subscriptions by making it the primary platform for Olympic coverage.
• Seven’s app during the 2016 Rio Olympics: In Australia, Seven Network’s app for streaming the 2016 Rio Olympics faced severe issues due to unprecedented demand, with 2.8 million streams recorded on one day alone, shattering previous records. Users experienced app crashes and slow loading, with Seven attributing some problems to international demand stressing internet architecture.
• Netflix’s 2024 Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight: On November 15, 2024, Netflix encountered technical difficulties during its live broadcast of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match, one of its largest live events to date. Thousands of users reported stream crashes and poor quality, especially during key fights like Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, with social media posts highlighting the issue. Netflix’s struggle was seen as a significant failure, given its reputation for on-demand streaming.

The recurring nature of these issues suggests systemic challenges, such as the need for robust infrastructure to handle sudden spikes in viewership, precise scheduling for live events, and real-time technical support. Live streaming differs significantly from on-demand content, requiring platforms to manage high concurrent connections and ensure minimal latency, which can strain even well-established systems.

The failures are not unique to any single platform but reflect broader industry challenges. As more viewers shift to streaming for live content, platforms must invest in advanced technologies, such as content delivery networks (CDNs) and adaptive bitrate streaming, to mitigate these issues.