A method and device for providing live adaptive bitrate (ABR) video to a client device using a multicast-to-unicast-ABR proxy is disclosed. The method includes responsive to the client device tuning to a channel or requesting a change in profile for the channel, requesting from a distribution server a burst of video fragments for the channel using a selected profile, the burst of video fragments to be delivered via unicast; responsive to the burst being completed, requesting to join a multicast for the channel, the multicast using the selected profile; and providing video for the channel to the client device via unicast using the selected profile.