Imagine watching over 3.5 hours of the 2025 Oscars telecast, including seven minutes of rambling from Best Actor winner Adrien Brody, several musical numbers from the Dune: Part Two sandworm, and a failed singalong attempt from Emilia Pérez songwriters Clement Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard — only to miss the final two awards of the night. That happened to me and other unlucky livestreamers when Hulu's live broadcast of the 97th Academy Awards ended moments before Mikey Madison won the Oscar for Best Actress.
As some pointed out, the move seems especially poignant after Anora director Sean Baker's Best Director speech about the sanctity of the moviegoing experience in the age of streaming. Baker's words highlighted the importance of the communal, in-theater magic of watching films as they were meant to be seen — an experience that, ironically, was undercut by the very medium the Academy and ABC chose to use for its live broadcast.
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In a time when streaming services promise accessibility and convenience, it’s clear that technical mishaps like this one still serve as a reminder of the fragility of relying solely on digital platforms for such significant live events.
It’s not the first time streaming services have struggled with major live broadcasts, and it likely won't be the last. The Oscars have a long history of being an event where anticipation builds to a crescendo as the final awards of the night approach. Missing out on the concluding moments, especially the coronation of the Best Actress winner, is a letdown for those watching from home.
After all, live events are about more than just watching — they’re about experiencing them in real-time, feeling the excitement, and sharing those pivotal moments with others. But if we couldn’t experience the thrill of the Oscars' final moments (and Anora's victory lap), we could at least commiserate online.
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