diff --git a/lib/media/preload_manager.js b/lib/media/preload_manager.js
index 9c4e214798..08cdc4accd 100644
--- a/lib/media/preload_manager.js
+++ b/lib/media/preload_manager.js
@@ -607,9 +607,10 @@ shaka.media.PreloadManager = class extends shaka.util.FakeEventTarget {
    * Performs a final filtering of the manifest, and chooses the initial
    * variant.
    *
+   * @return {!Promise}
    * @private
    */
-  chooseInitialVariantInner_() {
+  async chooseInitialVariantInner_() {
     goog.asserts.assert(
         this.manifest_, 'The manifest should already be parsed.');
 
@@ -655,13 +656,15 @@ shaka.media.PreloadManager = class extends shaka.util.FakeEventTarget {
       this.abrManager_.setVariants(Array.from(adaptationSet.values()));
       const variant = this.abrManager_.chooseVariant();
       if (variant) {
+        const promises = [];
         this.prefetchedVariant_ = variant;
         if (variant.video) {
-          this.makePrefetchForStream_(variant.video, isLive);
+          promises.push(this.prefetchStream_(variant.video, isLive));
         }
         if (variant.audio) {
-          this.makePrefetchForStream_(variant.audio, isLive);
+          promises.push(this.prefetchStream_(variant.audio, isLive));
         }
+        await Promise.all(promises);
       }
     }
   }
@@ -672,7 +675,7 @@ shaka.media.PreloadManager = class extends shaka.util.FakeEventTarget {
    * @return {!Promise}
    * @private
    */
-  async makePrefetchForStream_(stream, isLive) {
+  async prefetchStream_(stream, isLive) {
     // Use the prefetch limit from the config if this is set, otherwise use 2.
     const prefetchLimit = this.config_.streaming.segmentPrefetchLimit || 2;
     const prefetch = new shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch(
@@ -700,13 +703,14 @@ shaka.media.PreloadManager = class extends shaka.util.FakeEventTarget {
       if (isLive) {
         // Preload only the init segment for Live
         if (prefetchSegment.initSegmentReference) {
-          prefetch.prefetchInitSegment(prefetchSegment.initSegmentReference);
+          await prefetch.prefetchInitSegment(
+              prefetchSegment.initSegmentReference);
         }
       } else {
         // Preload a segment, too... either the first segment, or the segment
         // that corresponds with this.startTime_, as appropriate.
         // Note: this method also preload the init segment
-        prefetch.prefetchSegmentsByTime(prefetchSegment.startTime);
+        await prefetch.prefetchSegmentsByTime(prefetchSegment.startTime);
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/lib/media/segment_prefetch.js b/lib/media/segment_prefetch.js
index 03ec5a8f33..b7ea6ceadc 100644
--- a/lib/media/segment_prefetch.js
+++ b/lib/media/segment_prefetch.js
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ goog.require('shaka.media.InitSegmentReference');
 goog.require('shaka.media.SegmentIterator');
 goog.require('shaka.media.SegmentReference');
 goog.require('shaka.net.NetworkingEngine');
+goog.require('shaka.util.Error');
 goog.require('shaka.util.Uint8ArrayUtils');
 
 
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch = class {
    *
    * @param {number} currTime
    * @param {boolean=} skipFirst
+   * @return {!Promise}
    * @public
    */
   prefetchSegmentsByTime(currTime, skipFirst = false) {
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch = class {
     const logPrefix = shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch.logPrefix_(this.stream_);
     if (!this.stream_.segmentIndex) {
       shaka.log.debug(logPrefix, 'missing segmentIndex');
-      return;
+      return Promise.resolve();
     }
     if (!this.iterator_) {
       this.iterator_ = this.stream_.segmentIndex.getIteratorForTime(
@@ -91,11 +93,12 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch = class {
     }
     if (!this.iterator_) {
       shaka.log.debug(logPrefix, 'missing iterator');
-      return;
+      return Promise.resolve();
     }
     if (skipFirst) {
       this.iterator_.next();
     }
+    const promises = [];
     while (this.segmentPrefetchMap_.size < this.prefetchLimit_) {
       const reference = this.iterator_.next().value;
       if (!reference) {
@@ -115,22 +118,26 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch = class {
         prefetchAllowed = false;
       }
       if (prefetchAllowed && reference.initSegmentReference) {
-        this.prefetchInitSegment(reference.initSegmentReference);
+        promises.push(this.prefetchInitSegment(
+            reference.initSegmentReference));
       }
       if (prefetchAllowed && !this.segmentPrefetchMap_.has(reference)) {
         const segmentPrefetchOperation =
           new shaka.media.SegmentPrefetchOperation(this.fetchDispatcher_);
-        segmentPrefetchOperation.dispatchFetch(reference, this.stream_);
+        promises.push(segmentPrefetchOperation.dispatchFetch(
+            reference, this.stream_));
         this.segmentPrefetchMap_.set(reference, segmentPrefetchOperation);
       }
     }
     this.clearInitSegments_();
+    return Promise.all(promises);
   }
 
   /**
    * Fetch init segment.
    *
    * @param {!shaka.media.InitSegmentReference} initSegmentReference
+   * @return {!Promise}
    */
   prefetchInitSegment(initSegmentReference) {
     goog.asserts.assert(this.prefetchLimit_ > 0,
@@ -139,11 +146,11 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch = class {
     const logPrefix = shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch.logPrefix_(this.stream_);
     if (!this.stream_.segmentIndex) {
       shaka.log.debug(logPrefix, 'missing segmentIndex');
-      return;
+      return Promise.resolve();
     }
 
     if (initSegmentReference.getSegmentData()) {
-      return;
+      return Promise.resolve();
     }
 
     // init segments are ignored from the prefetch limit
@@ -152,14 +159,16 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetch = class {
       return shaka.media.InitSegmentReference.equal(
           reference, initSegmentReference);
     });
-    if (!someReference) {
-      const segmentPrefetchOperation =
-        new shaka.media.SegmentPrefetchOperation(this.fetchDispatcher_);
-      segmentPrefetchOperation.dispatchFetch(
-          initSegmentReference, this.stream_);
-      this.initSegmentPrefetchMap_.set(
-          initSegmentReference, segmentPrefetchOperation);
+    if (someReference) {
+      return Promise.resolve();
     }
+    const segmentPrefetchOperation = new shaka.media.SegmentPrefetchOperation(
+        this.fetchDispatcher_);
+    const promise = segmentPrefetchOperation.dispatchFetch(
+        initSegmentReference, this.stream_);
+    this.initSegmentPrefetchMap_.set(
+        initSegmentReference, segmentPrefetchOperation);
+    return promise;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -415,6 +424,7 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetchOperation = class {
    * @param {!(shaka.media.SegmentReference|shaka.media.InitSegmentReference)}
    *        reference
    * @param {!shaka.extern.Stream} stream
+   * @return {!Promise}
    * @public
    */
   dispatchFetch(reference, stream) {
@@ -433,6 +443,15 @@ shaka.media.SegmentPrefetchOperation = class {
             buffered = new Uint8Array(0);
           }
         });
+    return this.operation_.promise.catch((e) => {
+      // Ignore OPERATION_ABORTED errors.
+      if (e instanceof shaka.util.Error &&
+          e.code == shaka.util.Error.Code.OPERATION_ABORTED) {
+        return Promise.resolve();
+      }
+      // Continue to surface other errors.
+      return Promise.reject(e);
+    });
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/test/test/util/fake_segment_prefetch.js b/test/test/util/fake_segment_prefetch.js
index cd057f6aa3..115284c307 100644
--- a/test/test/util/fake_segment_prefetch.js
+++ b/test/test/util/fake_segment_prefetch.js
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ shaka.test.FakeSegmentPrefetch = class {
       this.prefetchPosTime_ = reference.startTime;
       reference = iterator.next().value;
     }
+    return Promise.resolve();
   }
 
   /** @override */