VAST error code
202 — Video player expecting different duration
What the spec says
The duration of the creative does not match what the player expected for the slot.
What actually causes it
- A 30-second creative served into a slot configured for 15 seconds, or the reverse.
- A Duration value in the tag that does not match the actual length of the media file.
- An ad pod with a total duration longer than the break it was sold into.
How to fix it
Check the Duration declared in the tag against both the real length of the asset and the slot the placement sells. The declared value is what the player validates against, so a tag claiming 00:00:15 for a 30-second file will fail even though the asset is fine.
To see whether a tag would hit this before it runs, paste it into the VAST validator. It reads the XML and reports the conditions that map to this code.
Related codes
Code definitions from the IAB Tech Lab VAST 4.3 specification. Causes and fixes are practitioner guidance, last verified July 2026.