Hulu Says Oscars Livestream Glitch Fully Resolved, Thanks Frustrated Viewers For “Hanging In There” – Update
UPDATED with outage resolved. Hulu says it has resolved the tech glitch that marred its livestream of Sunday’s Academy Awards.
“The issue is now resolved and impacted users are able to log in,” the Disney-owned streaming service said. “There was a technical issue with a login system which we identified and fixed.”
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The full resolution, announced shortly after 6 p.m. PT, followed an update a few minutes prior to that, saying the source of the tech problem had been identified. “Users affected should be able to log back in again soon,” the company’s customer support account said in a post on X.
The company replied to its own post once the resolution of the outage was fully confirmed. “Thanks so much for hanging in there!” it wrote. “Our team took the necessary steps to resolve this, so you should be all set after rebooting your device. We appreciate your patience!”
The outage, which affected a swath of users just as the first-ever Oscars livestream was beginning, hampered Disney’s effort to provide a younger-skewing digital complement to its main broadcast on ABC. While the snag was fixed with nearly half of the show left, it could still affect overall viewership at a time when every bit of live tune-in is crucial. A number of major live telecasts, including sports but also unscripted shows and awards ceremonies, have in recent years migrated to streaming or added streaming simulcasts.
The outage also comes as the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences weighs its TV and streaming future, with Disney’s deal for the Oscars set to expire in 2028. ABC has broadcast the awards show since 1976.
PREVIOUSLY:
The first livestream of the Academy Awards was marred by a tech glitch on Sunday, frustrating viewers trying to log in for the 97th annual telecast.
“Unable to log in?” asked a message at the top of many viewers’ screens. “We’re on it! Our team is currently investigating and we hope to have things back up and running soon. Thank you for your patience!”
That same message was posted to Hulu’s customer support accounts on social media. A company rep did not immediately respond to Deadline’s request for additional comment on the situation.
An additional source of viewer confusion was the fact that Disney+ was not streaming the Oscars, though it has become more closely aligned with Hulu over the past 18 months. A Hulu button was added to the home screen of Disney+ a little more than a year ago, followed by an ESPN tile.
When one viewer posted on X wondering why the show wasn’t on Disney+, the Disney+ support account replied, “Thank you for reaching out! The 97th Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC-TV and are streaming on Hulu. … If you are having trouble accessing it, try restarting your app or checking for updates. Let us know if you need further assistance!”
According to DownDetector, a website monitoring user issues with a range of digital services, the trouble began just as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were taking the Dolby Theatre stage to open the show. An hour into the telecast, the number of reported outages had ticked down a bit but Hulu had not offered any updates or indicated that it was out of the woods.
A flood of comments from stymied viewers issued forth as the glitch became fully apparent. The word “Hulu” was the No. 5 trending topic nationally on X.
“The way @Hulu is tweeting the Oscars when its site has crashed and nobody can watch it is maybe the best metaphor for Hollywood’s current state yet,” screenwriter and novelist Dean Bakopoulos posted. “Just to recap: Hulu streamed a red carpet program with no problem, then instead of going into the Oscars went immediately into an episode of 20/20, and then crashed and made it impossible to watch the Academy Awards,” fumed Mike Hughes on X. “Great job, @Hulu @Hulu_Support.”
The livestream was the first ever for the Oscars, but a number of high-profile live events have recently expanded to streaming, including last month’s SAG Awards and the Super Bowl. While the average age of broadcast TV viewers remains stubbornly Gen X and Baby Boomer, the addition of streaming as a complement to linear is designed to pull in younger viewers.
For Disney, the addition of Hulu to the live broadcast on ABC gave the company addition ammunition with advertisers. Disney Advertising on Friday said it had sold out all inventory on the Oscars, with rates holding steady with 2024 levels at $1.7 million to $2.3 million for a 30-second spot. The ads running on Hulu were identical to the ones on the main ABC telecast.
All live telecasts are fighting against the trend of declining viewership for virtually everything outside of NFL football. That’s been particularly true for award shows and the Oscars in particular. Even though ratings have been on an upswing, with last year’s edition the most-viewed since 2020, in historical terms the current universe of possible audience is significantly diminished.
Live sports, which has been keeping the pay-TV bundle from completely dissolving, has been shifting toward streaming in recent years. Considerable nervousness
MORE to come …
Katie Campione contributed to this report.
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