In a major misstep during its inaugural live stream of the Academy Awards for on-demand subscribers, Hulu abruptly ended its broadcast prematurely last night, causing outrage among viewers who missed several of the ceremony’s biggest moments. The incident marred what was supposed to be a landmark event for the streaming platform, marking the first time Hulu offered the Oscars live to its on-demand customer base rather than exclusively through its Live TV tier.
The glitch occurred just after the Best Actor award was presented, around 10:45 p.m. ET, when Hulu’s stream unexpectedly cut to a “Thanks for Watching” message followed by a loop of promotional content. At the time, several high-profile categories—including Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture—had yet to be announced, leaving viewers blindsided.
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. Historically, the Academy Awards have aired on ABC, with streaming alternatives limited to services like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, or Sling TV. This year’s expansion aimed to capture younger, cord-cutting audiences who prefer on-demand platforms but still crave live events. However, the early cutoff has cast a shadow over the initiative, raising questions about Hulu’s readiness to handle such high-stakes broadcasts.
This all comes as Disney, the parent company behind Hulu, is scrambling to lock up streaming rights to live events, including Sports. Just last night, Netflix made it clear that they will be bidding on the rights to the Oscars. This error will definitely be something Disney’s competitors will try to use against it.
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