diff --git a/src/plugin.js b/src/plugin.js
index 2349fb32..e86f330c 100644
--- a/src/plugin.js
+++ b/src/plugin.js
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ const contribAdsPlugin = function(options) {
   // Restart the cancelContentPlay process.
   player.on('playing', () => {
     player.ads._cancelledPlay = false;
+    player.ads._pausedOnContentupdate = false;
   });
 
   player.one('loadstart', () => {
@@ -638,10 +639,10 @@ const contribAdsPlugin = function(options) {
           triggerevent: player.ads.triggerevent
         });
 
-        // Play the content if cancelContentPlay happened and we haven't played yet.
-        // This happens if there was no preroll or if it errored, timed out, etc.
-        // Otherwise snapshot restore would play.
-        if (player.ads._cancelledPlay) {
+        // Play the content if cancelContentPlay happened or we paused on 'contentupdate'
+        // and we haven't played yet. This happens if there was no preroll or if it
+        // errored, timed out, etc. Otherwise snapshot restore would play.
+        if (player.ads._cancelledPlay || player.ads._pausedOnContentupdate) {
           if (player.paused()) {
             player.play();
           }
@@ -666,6 +667,10 @@ const contribAdsPlugin = function(options) {
           if (player.paused()) {
             this.state = 'content-set';
           } else {
+            // If we get here we missed the 'play' event, so pause the player so
+            // that content doesn't start playing immediately after the source change
+            player.pause();
+            player.ads._pausedOnContentupdate = true;
             this.state = 'ads-ready?';
           }
         },
diff --git a/test/test.ads.js b/test/test.ads.js
index ab081024..a4432b94 100644
--- a/test/test.ads.js
+++ b/test/test.ads.js
@@ -729,6 +729,18 @@ QUnit.test('adsready in content-playback triggers readyforpreroll', function(ass
   assert.strictEqual(spy.getCall(0).args[0].type, 'readyforpreroll', 'readyforpreroll should have been triggered.');
 });
 
+QUnit.test('contentupdate in content-playback transitions to ads-ready? and pauses player if not already paused', function(assert) {
+  this.player.trigger('loadstart');
+  this.player.ads.skipLinearAdMode();
+  this.player.paused = function() {
+    return false;
+  };
+  sinon.spy(this.player, 'pause');
+  this.player.trigger('contentupdate');
+  assert.ok(this.player.pause.calledOnce, 'player was paused');
+  assert.ok(this.player.ads._pausedOnContentupdate, '_pausedOnContentupdate is true');
+});
+
 // ----------------------------------
 // Event prefixing during ad playback
 // ----------------------------------