Hulu has reported the restoration of its streaming services after facing significant technical difficulties during the 2025 Oscar Awards last night. The trouble began just before the commencement of the annual ceremony, leading to over 34,000 Hulu subscribers unable to access the streaming service at one of the most anticipated events of the year.
The 97th Academy Awards kicked off at 7 p.m. ET, airing live on ABC and simultaneously streaming on Hulu, which is owned by Disney. The official red carpet show began earlier at 6:30 p.m. ET, also aired on Hulu. Just before the awards show, viewers began experiencing issues, prompting many to take to social media to express their frustration.
At 9:21 p.m. ET, Hulu tweeted, "Thanks so much for hanging in there! Our team took the necessary steps to resolve this, so you should be all set after rebooting your device. We appreciate your patience!" This message came after two hours of widespread outages as viewers were eager to catch every moment of the famed event.
On Twitter, user Marcella vented her frustrations stating, "#Hulu owes me a damn refund right about now. All the advertisement about streaming the #Oscars2025, only for the site to not work." Another user, identified as Sana, echoed the sentiment by tweeting, "Hulu advertising the Oscars in our faces for a month and then the site going down minutes before the show starts is just perfect..."
During the outage, Hulu's team responded quickly to concerns, stating on their X account at 7:39 p.m. ET, "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." They maintained communication throughout the troubles, prioritizing a resolution to the issues at hand.
Shortly after the initial report of issues, Hulu confirmed through multiple channels they were actively investigating the glitch. "We apologize for the inconvenience, and we are currently investigating this with high priority," the service reassured users. This transparency and engagement helped to ease some tensions as customers awaited updates on service restoration.
Once services were restored, viewers were able to tune back in for the Oscars, where Kieran Culkin won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in the movie A Real Pain. Despite the initial disruptions, the Oscars went on, showcasing remarkable talent and memorable moments from the film industry.
The technical mishap highlighted the increasing dependency on streaming services for high-profile live events, as traditional cable subscriptions decline. With the Oscars often being heavily advertised on platforms like Hulu, subscribers expect seamless viewing experiences when tuning in for their favorite entertainment events.
Analysts noted the significance of streaming stability during major live events, particularly during its broadcasts during events with high viewer expectations such as the Academy Awards. The incident sparked conversations not only among audiences but within the tech and media industries about infrastructure improvements and customer experience.
While service interruptions are not uncommon, the latest concerns over streaming services performing during live events could influence viewer loyalty and future engagement with platforms like Hulu. With such large audiences moving online, technology companies must strengthen their reliability to meet customer demands, particularly for events like the Oscars.
With the award ceremony concluded and Hulu's services back online, many users were left reflecting on the technical hiccups but also eager to participate again next time. Some expressed optimism about Hulu addressing service shortcomings to avoid similar pitfall during future major broadcasts.
Streaming services like Hulu are now at the forefront of viewing entertainment, and their ability to serve millions during high-stakes moments creates pressure to provide continual reliability. Users are likely to keep their eyes on how Hulu manages and improves its live streaming capabilities moving forward, especially as audiences grow and engagement peaks during prime entertainment showcases.