diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.spec.ts
index 6498e10b9..2ea9153b4 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.spec.ts
@@ -242,6 +242,24 @@ describe('VodDetailsPlaybackService — external session ownership', () => {
         closeSession.mockResolvedValue(undefined);
     });
 
+    it('still starts the replacement when closing the old player fails', async () => {
+        activeSession.set(sessionFor(ROUTE_PLAYLIST, ROUTE_VOD_ID));
+        closeSession.mockRejectedValue(new Error('close ipc failed'));
+        openResolvedPlayback.mockClear();
+
+        await service.startResolvedPlayback({
+            streamUrl: 'https://example.com/alt.mkv',
+            title: 'Example Movie',
+        });
+
+        // The switch is already committed — the badge names the new source.
+        // Bailing out here left the page claiming a source with nothing
+        // started at all.
+        expect(openResolvedPlayback).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+        closeSession.mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    });
+
     it('launches only the newest source when two switches overlap', async () => {
         activeSession.set(sessionFor(ROUTE_PLAYLIST, ROUTE_VOD_ID));
         // One shared promise: both calls see the same running session, so
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.ts
index b1343e3d3..b496b7513 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-playback.service.ts
@@ -358,7 +358,19 @@ export class VodDetailsPlaybackService {
             this.matchedExternalPlayback()
         );
         if (running) {
-            await this.externalPlayback.closeSession(running);
+            try {
+                await this.externalPlayback.closeSession(running);
+            } catch (error) {
+                // The switch is already committed — the badge names the new
+                // source. Giving up here would leave the page claiming a
+                // source with nothing started, which is worse than the
+                // pre-existing risk of a lingering process (and a close that
+                // rejects usually means the session was gone anyway).
+                this.logger.warn(
+                    'Closing the previous external player failed; starting the replacement anyway.',
+                    error
+                );
+            }
         }
 
         // Closing is a round-trip, and a second pick across it would otherwise