The Oscars’ streaming debut was marred by a series of Hulu glitches, leaving thousands of film fans unable to watch Conan O’Brien’s comedic antics, a “Wicked” musical performance by stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande and even the awarding of the year’s biggest award.
More than 33,000 users reported an inability to log onto Walt Disney Co.-owned Hulu as the 97th Academy Awards telecast was set to begin at 4 p.m. Sunday, according to Down Detector, which tracks app outages. For some, the log-in issues extended for more than half of the three-hour, 45-minute show.
After the first problem was patched, thousands of others saw their streams abruptly cut off a few minutes before the final award of the night was announced by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
They missed out as “Anora,” the independent film and critics’ favorite, won best picture. The film’s director and screenwriter Sean Baker also made history, earning four Oscar statuettes for the same movie.
Disney and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had hyped the streaming debut, part of a concerted effort to revitalize the nearly century-old awards show by bringing in younger viewers. Los Angeles firefighters and first responders also took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to represent the city’s recovery from the devastating January wildfires.
“We experienced technical and live stream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscars viewers,” Disney said Monday. “We apologize for the experience. A full replay of the event is available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.”
Some users who tried to log in at the beginning of the telecast received an error message and were prompted to “please enter a valid email address” even though most had correctly entered the email associated with their accounts.
Most Hulu users who had signed on before the 4 p.m. start time were treated to a smooth viewing experience, according to a person with knowledge of the technical issues who was unauthorized to speak publicly.
However, a second snafu came a little after 7:30 p.m., in the gala’s home stretch. Disney attributed that problem to a “scheduling system” issue, as the show extended beyond its allotted time.
The Burbank entertainment giant’s explanations and apology failed to soothe fans who love participating in pop culture events in real time.
“Why is there always problems during a high profile live event. I NEED HELP. What is going on?” wrote one user who goes by the handle Slothtrop Records on X.
Disney offered frequent updates Sunday and Monday about its trouble-shooting efforts on social media. Still, hundreds of viewers excoriated Hulu’s faltering performance and signaled their disappointment.
As streaming services have gotten further into the business of broadcasting live events, the technology’s technical limitations have become more exposed. Netflix’s stunt boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul prompted furious responses from viewers who experienced buffering, blurry video and other issues. Netflix said 108 million viewers watched the fight.
