Hulu viewers miss Oscars climax in latest mishap for streaming platforms’ live programming

Sunday night, March 2 marked Hulu's first time airing the Oscars (or the Academy Awards) live. But its Academy Awards debut ended on a chaotic and frustratingly premature note. Hulu's livestream cut off in the final moments of the show—with two major award categories, best actress and best picture, still to be announced because of a scheduling system issue. Those viewing the awards ceremony on Hulu instead saw an error code message that stated the event was over. Viewer outrage, predictably, ensued online. Fans, including those throwing Oscar-viewing parties, eagerly awaited the final, pivotal moments of Hollywood's biggest night. Hulu viewers missed Mikey Madison and "Anora" winning the night's titles for both best actress and best picture in real-time. The Hulu stream also had a rough start, with a few users reporting issues logging on to the platform due to another technical problem. For some, that meant missing the show's musical intro performed by "Wicked" stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Disney, which has run Hulu since 2019, apologized to viewers. "Yesterday evening, we experienced technical and live stream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscars viewers," the company wrote in a statement sent to The Associated Press on March 3. "We apologize for the experience." Disney added that a "full replay" of the event is now available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, the streamers' bundled offering. That replay includes the final moments of Sunday night's show. Hulu's foray into the Oscars arrives as more streaming platforms are betting big on live programming of prominent events—from a handful of awards shows and pop culture moments to major sports matchups like the Super Bowl. But some have gone smoother than others. And Hulu's stumble on March 2 was not the first among similar endeavors from today's biggest streaming platforms. This article was provided by The Associated Press.