Hulu Ends Oscars Stream Before Final Awards

Hulu subscribers faced disappointment and outrage on Sunday night when the streaming service cut off its live broadcast of the Oscars just before the final awards were announced. Viewers were met with a message that falsely claimed, "Thank you for watching. The live event has now ended," despite the fact that the most anticipated awards, including Best Actress and Best Picture, had yet to be presented.

This incident resulted in a wave of complaints across social media platforms, where frustrated viewers expressed their discontent. Hulu, which is owned by Disney, had already experienced a challenging night with earlier login issues reported by some users. These problems were resolved somewhat before 9 PM ET, but shutting down the stream before the ceremony concluded marked a significant misstep for the service.

The disruption stemmed from Hulu designating a fixed ending time of 10:32 PM for the Oscars broadcast. This timing proved inadequate, particularly as several acceptance speeches extended longer than anticipated. Many viewers questioned how such streaming errors continue to occur, especially from a company that possesses the rights to broadcast the Oscars.

The Verge has attempted to reach out to Hulu for an explanation regarding what went wrong on this significant night in Hollywood. This situation is not without precedent; a similar issue occurred during Super Bowl LII in 2018 when Hulu also ended its live broadcast prematurely in some areas.

Hulu, Oscars, Awards