In an example embodiment, a technique that employs a SAP/SDP packet to communicate data to a client device when a request for a multicast stream, such as a video stream, is denied. Rather than announcing a program, the SAP/SDP packet reports a status to the client device. The SAP/SDP packet may suitably comprise data representative of the video name, and a reason code, enabling the client device to provide an output, e.g. a text string, to a user associated with the client device indicating the reason for the denial. In addition, contact information such as an email address and a uniform resource locator (URL) pointing to a predetermined web page may also be included in the SAP/SDP packet that can inform the associated user of the client device where additional information can be obtained for the denial.