When live stream fails dsp, the first screen to open is the delivery log

When live stream fails dsp, the delivery log is usually the fastest place to separate a stream problem from a demand problem. The page shows the session, the ad slot ID, the request time and the latest response state, so you can see whether the player asked for an ad and what came back. That first pass keeps the investigation concrete instead of jumping between dashboards.

Start with the delivery log when live stream fails dsp

Open the delivery log for the affected session and compare the last successful request with the first failed one. If live stream fails dsp only after a specific ad slot, the log will show a gap between request and response, or a response that arrived without a renderable creative. Copy the request ID, slot name, timestamp and region before changing any filter. This gives the next screen a fixed reference point and avoids guessing from playback alone.

Look at the status column first, then the response body preview. A request that never leaves the page points to the player or tag setup; a request with a bid but no visible ad points to creative or rendering checks. The log does not explain every cause, but it tells you which page to open next and keeps the sequence of events intact.

The stream health panel shows whether playback or ad delivery broke

The stream health panel is the second stop because it separates the video track from the ad track. Check whether the live edge is moving, whether the player reports buffering, and whether the ad break marker appears at the expected time. If playback is healthy and the ad marker is missing, the issue sits closer to the ad request path than to the stream itself.

On mobile data, keep the same panel open while you reload the page once. Note whether the player recovers on its own or stays in a waiting state. That detail matters when the same session is passed to another team: a player that recovers after a few seconds looks different from one that never sends the next request. Use the session ID from this panel to match it against the delivery log.

Demand-side platform rows reveal the missing bid or empty response

In the demand-side platform view, filter by the exact slot and time window from the delivery log. Read the bid request count, response count and render count as a short sequence. A request with no response is a demand-side gap; a response with no render is a creative or player-side gap. Do not read the totals in isolation, because a busy hour can hide a single failed slot.

If live stream fails dsp only when a particular creative size is returned, compare the bid response preview with the slot setup. A mismatch can look like a stream failure even when the video is fine. Keep the filter narrow and repeat it once; a repeatable result is more useful than a single refresh that changes the numbers. This is also the point to confirm whether the failure follows one slot or every slot in the session.

Device and region filters turn a one-off into a pattern

Use the device and region filters to test the same session from a different network or handset where that option is available. Compare the request time, response state and render result side by side. If the failure follows one device type, the notes should say so; if it follows one region, the page will show a cluster that a single-session check would miss.

Keep the filter set small: one device, one region, one slot and one time window. Wider filters produce a busy chart that is hard to read and easy to misread. The same check matters when live stream fails dsp again in the same slot. Save the filter or copy the query string so another person can open the same view, which reduces the back-and-forth when the issue returns.

What to note in the delivery log before you pass it on

Before you send the issue onward, write down the session ID, ad slot, first failed timestamp, last successful timestamp, device, region and the exact status from the delivery log. Add one sentence about whether playback continued and whether the stream health panel showed a live edge. These details let the next person reopen the same screens without repeating the first pass.

Include a screenshot only when it shows the status column or the bid response preview clearly; a full-page image often hides the row that matters. Keep the note short and factual, and state which page produced each value. If the issue clears on reload, say that too, because a cleared session still leaves a useful record in the log.

When live stream fails dsp, the useful routine is always the same: read the delivery log, check stream health, compare demand-side platform rows, then narrow by device and region. The goal is not to prove a single cause from one screen but to leave a short trail that shows where the request stopped and what the player did next.