The Hulu live stream of the 97th Academy Awards experienced significant technical errors, causing many viewers to face interruptions while trying to watch Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue and the live performances of “Wicked” by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. These streaming issues come shortly after Netflix encountered similar problems during the 2025 SAG Awards, which are recognized as one of the key precursors to the Oscars.
The Oscars streamed live on Hulu for the first time, but encountered some rookie mistakes. In the final moments of the broadcast, Hulu ended the livestream early for some viewers, just before the final two awards of the night were presented. These significant technical errors overshadowed an otherwise well-received Oscars ceremony.
Some viewers were completely prevented from streaming the Oscars during its opening minutes, resorting to signing up for a Fubo free trial to watch Hollywood’s biggest night unfold. The issues seemed to be resolved as the Oscars completed its first hour of the ceremony, just in time for the Best Original and Adapted Screenplays awards, which went to Anora, and Conclave, respectively. Check out all of Screen Rant’s Oscars coverage and the complete list of 2025 Oscars winners.
What Happened To Hulu During The 2025 Oscars
Many viewers were stunned and frustrated to experience interruptions, buffering, and more technical issues while live-streaming the opening moments of the 97th Academy Awards. While viewers who watched on ABC through cable providers did not experience these difficulties, a larger number of streamers on Hulu were booted out of the streaming app while watching the beginning segments of the night unfold.
Viewers who were affected missed some if not all of the ceremony’s best moments within its first 30 minutes. These included host Conan O’Brien’s hilarious and well-received opening monologue, Adam Sandler’s surprising and humorous cameo, and Kieran Culkin’s acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor. While it is possible to go back and rewatch these moments on Hulu, many viewers consider that missing these crucial moments of Hollywood’s biggest night right as the ceremony kicked off is not only unprofessional but unacceptable on Hulu’s part.
Hulu’s Oscars Debacle Continues A Trend Of Disastrous Live Streaming Events
It wouldn’t be a modern awards ceremony if its live stream on a major platform didn’t have a few notable technical hiccups. The recent issues with Netflix’s live stream of the SAG Awards combined with their buffering problems during the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight continues an unfortunate streaming trend for the most popular and prestigious live broadcasts. Hulu now joins Netflix in experiencing disruptive technical errors, which occurred for many but not all viewers.
As the 97th Academy Awards continued, the issues seemed to have been smoothed over but not before hundreds of frustrated viewers took to social media to complain on Oscars night. The social media frenzy didn’t seem to help ease Hulu’s technical issues, as they continued throughout Oscars night, forcing people to miss some of the best and biggest moments of the ceremony.
