Persistent MSN Video Playback/Ad Delivery Issue

It appears that you are experiencing a persistent issue with ad delivery on MSN videos, where ads fail to load despite videos playing correctly. Given that you've already taken several troubleshooting steps, including clearing cache and cookies, disabling extensions, and testing across multiple browsers and devices, it suggests that the issue may indeed be related to MSN's ad delivery system rather than a local configuration problem.

Unfortunately, the information provided does not indicate whether this is a known issue or provide an estimated time for resolution. It would be best to continue monitoring the situation and check for any updates from MSN regarding their ad delivery system. Additionally, keeping an eye on forums or support channels related to MSN may provide insights from other users experiencing similar issues.

References:

• Microsoft Invest - Video creative guidelines and specifications
• AD FS Requirements for Windows Server

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing the details. Just to clarify, have you noticed if the ads fail only on certain types of videos, like news or entertainment, or is it happening across all categories? Also, do you see the ad placeholder before it fails to load? This helps us figure out whether the problem is tied to specific content or if it’s a platform-wide issue, and whether the ad request is being triggered but not delivered, which would point to the ad-serving system rather than the video player.

In the meantime, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on Microsoft’s official service health pages to check for any outages:

Microsoft Ads Status - https://status.ads.microsoft.com and Microsoft Service Health - https://status.cloud.microsoft/m365/referrer=serviceStatusRedirect

You can also try a few troubleshooting steps: reinstall Edge or use Edge Canary, disable any security software extensions like ESET or Malwarebytes, and make sure your browser’s tracking prevention is set to “Balanced” or “Basic.” Restart your router and device, test on a different network like a mobile hotspot, and confirm your system time and region settings are correct.

If the issue persists, try Chrome or Firefox, some users report better playback there. Refresh the page when ads freeze or fail, and use Incognito or Private mode to rule out profile issues.

Finally, don’t forget to report the problem through MSN Feedback and Microsoft Advertising Support so they’re aware.

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.

Kind regards,

Edward

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me. From what I can see, the issue isn’t with the video player itself but with the ad-serving system. The ad request is going through, but the actual ad isn’t being delivered, which leaves the video stuck on a black screen.

This happens because most players wait for the ad to finish before continuing playback.

The easiest way to confirm this is by checking the network logs to see if the ad response is empty or showing errors. It also helps to check whether the player has any fallback option, like skipping the ad if it doesn’t load, and to compare if the problem occurs across different regions or accounts.

If you want to fix it, you could set up a fallback so the video resumes when an ad fails to load, make sure the ad tags are valid, test without ad blockers, and consider updating the player SDK since older versions don’t handle empty ad responses well.

Let me know if this helps and need clarification

Warm regards,

Edward

Thanks for all the helpful comments. It was caused by corrupted files related to a desktop icon that was synced by OneDrive from another HDD.