NEW YORK (AP) — Sunday night marked Hulu's first time airing the Oscars live. But its A cademy 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 await the final, pivotal moments of Hollywood's biggest night. Hulu viewers missed Mikey Madison and “Anora” win 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 Monday. “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 Sunday was not the first among similar endeavors from today's biggest streaming platforms.
Netflix users, for example, expressed frustrations with streaming and buffering problems before and during November's widely-watched, livestream fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. And in 2023, the platform's “Love Is Blind” fans also saw a lengthy delay ahead of a reunion special originally set to air live. Meanwhile, CBS All Access, now Paramount+, reportedly crashed for many viewers at the start of the 2021 Super Bowl.
And in the earlier days of streaming, Hulu's more-expensive live TV service also cut off early for certain users in the final minutes of the 2018 Super Bowl — with the streamer citing a technical issue that it said impacted some of its feeds from NBC. "While the interruption could not have come at a more important time, we are confident we can prevent this in the future," Hulu Support wrote on social media at the time.
While the Super Bowl bounces around between broadcast and streaming homes each year, the Oscars have aired on ABC for decades. The network's contract with the Academy currently runs through 2028, a year that will mark the Oscars' 100th anniversary.
Sunday marked the first time cord cutters could watch through standard Hulu plans, but subscribers of Hulu Live TV have been able to tune into the awards show in years past. The show has also continued to be available on other services offering live streaming of ABC, such as YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.
AP Writer Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this report.
Daria Ekamasova, from left, Lindsey Normington, Vache Tovmasyan, Karren Karagulian, Alex Coco, front left, Samantha Quan, front right, Mikey Madison, Sean Baker, Mark Eydelshteyn, and Yura Borisov accept the award for best picture for "Anora" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal look on from back of stage right.(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Close to grabbing a franchise record all for himself, Kawhi Leonard elected to take a pass in order to be fresh for another day.
Team-oriented to the core, Leonard was actually a bit selfish by request Sunday, scoring a career-high 55 points to lift the Los Angeles Clippers to a 112-99 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
The Clippers are now on a season-best four-game winning streak and a recent scoring burst from Leonard is the primary reason.
Leonard was told by head coach Tyronn Lue he was closing in on the franchise scoring record but decided to keep his fourth-quarter floor time to a modest six minutes and departed with just under a minute remaining.
He now shares the team mark for points in a game with teammate James Harden.
“Like I told (Lue), I would rather play another game than go out there and risk it,” Leonard said. “Hopefully we can get another win and be in the same situation. It is what it is.”
Harden teased Leonard afterward that it took him long enough to pull off a 50-point game, while also shouting “double nickels,” in the locker room afterward. Leonard is in his 14th season.
“It was a beautiful thing to see how efficient, how effortless it was,” Harden said. “It was just so smooth. He got to whatever spot he wanted to and once you get to that spot it’s not even about the defender. It’s about him making the shot.
“Overly happy for him because behind the scenes you watch somebody and how hard they work. ... For him, what he had to battle through just to go out there and be himself was a beautiful thing to see.”
Slowed by knee injuries in recent years, Leonard missed 10 games earlier this season with ankle and foot issues. He finally reached 40 minutes in a game during a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last week that started the winning streak. He did it again in a victory Friday.
He went 17 of 26 from the floor against the Pistons and 16 of 17 from the free-throw line while playing 39 minutes.
“He’s finally getting healthy and finally being able to play enough minutes to be very effective,” Lue said. “When he’s healthy, he’s one of the top guys in the league. We’ve been able to see that of late.”
With a 41-point game Tuesday against the Houston Rockets, Leonard is the second player in franchise history to score at least 40 points in back-to-back home games along with Bob McAdoo.
Leonard scored 26 points in the third quarter alone Sunday, but he also missed his lone free throw of the night in the period. It not only was the point he needed to set the franchise scoring record, the miss ended his franchise-record run at 64 consecutive made free throws.
“I’ve never really kind of been in this situation,” said Leonard, who is averaging 39.0 points over the last four games. “I’m more trying to get guys the ball and sharing it more than what I have been doing. But the coaches need me to be aggressive the entire game.
“It’s just a different evolution of me trying to shoot more 3s and trying to evolve my game to today’s game.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard controls the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives the ball while under pressure from Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard controls the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
