diff --git a/src/media-groups.js b/src/media-groups.js
index c34e435d0..fb03ebd7e 100644
--- a/src/media-groups.js
+++ b/src/media-groups.js
@@ -337,10 +337,6 @@ export const setupListeners = {
   }
 };
 
-const byGroupId = (type, groupId) => (playlist) => playlist.attributes[type] === groupId;
-
-const byResolvedUri = (resolvedUri) => (playlist) => playlist.resolvedUri === resolvedUri;
-
 export const initialize = {
   /**
    * Setup PlaylistLoaders and AudioTracks for the audio groups
@@ -357,7 +353,7 @@ export const initialize = {
       sourceType,
       segmentLoaders: { [type]: segmentLoader },
       requestOptions,
-      master: { mediaGroups, playlists },
+      master: { mediaGroups },
       mediaTypes: {
         [type]: {
           groups,
@@ -380,25 +376,9 @@ export const initialize = {
 
       // List of playlists that have an AUDIO attribute value matching the current
       // group ID
-      const groupPlaylists = playlists.filter(byGroupId(type, groupId));
 
       for (let variantLabel in mediaGroups[type][groupId]) {
         let properties = mediaGroups[type][groupId][variantLabel];
-
-        // List of playlists for the current group ID that have a matching uri with
-        // this alternate audio variant
-        const matchingPlaylists =
-          groupPlaylists.filter(byResolvedUri(properties.resolvedUri));
-
-        if (matchingPlaylists.length) {
-          // If there is a playlist that has the same uri as this audio variant, assume
-          // that the playlist is audio only. We delete the resolvedUri property here
-          // to prevent a playlist loader from being created so that we don't have
-          // both the main and audio segment loaders loading the same audio segments
-          // from the same playlist.
-          delete properties.resolvedUri;
-        }
-
         let playlistLoader;
 
         if (properties.resolvedUri) {
diff --git a/src/sync-controller.js b/src/sync-controller.js
index d1a2fe4fc..4efdaef3b 100644
--- a/src/sync-controller.js
+++ b/src/sync-controller.js
@@ -49,9 +49,9 @@ export const syncPointStrategies = [
           let segmentStart = segmentTime + syncController.datetimeToDisplayTime;
           let distance = Math.abs(currentTime - segmentStart);
 
-          // Once the distance begins to increase, we have passed
+          // Once the distance begins to increase, or if distance is 0, we have passed
           // currentTime and can stop looking for better candidates
-          if (lastDistance !== null && lastDistance < distance) {
+          if (lastDistance !== null && (distance === 0 || lastDistance < distance)) {
             break;
           }
 
diff --git a/test/media-groups.test.js b/test/media-groups.test.js
index f83c0427e..7f89c0085 100644
--- a/test/media-groups.test.js
+++ b/test/media-groups.test.js
@@ -831,7 +831,7 @@ function(assert) {
                'no playlist loader when misconfigured');
 });
 
-QUnit.test('initialize audio does not create playlist loader for alternate tracks with' +
+QUnit.skip('initialize audio does not create playlist loader for alternate tracks with' +
 ' main stream as URI attribute', function(assert) {
   this.master.mediaGroups.AUDIO.aud1 = {
     en: { default: true, language: 'en', resolvedUri: 'main.m3u8' },
diff --git a/test/sync-controller.test.js b/test/sync-controller.test.js
index 3d1988c6a..e9ee22b18 100644
--- a/test/sync-controller.test.js
+++ b/test/sync-controller.test.js
@@ -68,12 +68,12 @@ QUnit.test('returns correct sync point for ProgramDateTime strategy', function(a
 
 QUnit.test('ProgramDateTime strategy finds nearest segment for sync', function(assert) {
   let strategy = getStrategy('ProgramDateTime');
-  let playlist = playlistWithDuration(40);
+  let playlist = playlistWithDuration(200);
   let timeline = 0;
   let duration = Infinity;
   let syncPoint;
 
-  syncPoint = strategy.run(this.syncController, playlist, duration, timeline, 23);
+  syncPoint = strategy.run(this.syncController, playlist, duration, timeline, 170);
 
   assert.equal(syncPoint, null, 'no syncpoint when datetimeToDisplayTime not set');
 
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ QUnit.test('ProgramDateTime strategy finds nearest segment for sync', function(a
 
   this.syncController.setDateTimeMapping(playlist);
 
-  let newPlaylist = playlistWithDuration(40);
+  let newPlaylist = playlistWithDuration(200);
 
   syncPoint = strategy.run(this.syncController, newPlaylist, duration, timeline);
 
@@ -93,12 +93,19 @@ QUnit.test('ProgramDateTime strategy finds nearest segment for sync', function(a
     segment.dateTimeObject = new Date(2012, 11, 12, 12, 12, 22 + (index * 10));
   });
 
-  syncPoint = strategy.run(this.syncController, newPlaylist, duration, timeline, 23);
+  syncPoint = strategy.run(this.syncController, newPlaylist, duration, timeline, 170);
 
   assert.deepEqual(syncPoint, {
-    time: 20,
-    segmentIndex: 1
+    time: 160,
+    segmentIndex: 15
   }, 'syncpoint found for ProgramDateTime set');
+
+  syncPoint = strategy.run(this.syncController, newPlaylist, duration, timeline, 0);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(syncPoint, {
+    time: 10,
+    segmentIndex: 0
+  }, 'syncpoint found for ProgramDateTime set at 0');
 });
 
 QUnit.test('Does not set date time mapping if date time info not on first segment',