A computer implemented method and apparatus for receiving, at a first media content packager, a request for at least one of an index file of media segments or a media segment; creating, in response to the request for an index file, an index file comprising a plurality of universal resource locators (URLs); and sending, from the media content packager an error message when at least one of: (i) in response to a request for an index file, the created index file is determined to comprise media segments that have previously been sent from a media packager, or (ii) in response to a request for a media segment, at least one of the URLs in the index file references media content that is not available on the first packager, or a media segment is incomplete, wherein sending the error message results in receiving the request at a second media content packager.