diff --git a/libavformat/dashdec.c b/libavformat/dashdec.c
index e82da45e43..20f2557ea3 100644
--- a/libavformat/dashdec.c
+++ b/libavformat/dashdec.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "libavutil/opt.h"
 #include "libavutil/time.h"
 #include "libavutil/parseutils.h"
+#include "libavutil/thread.h"
 #include "internal.h"
 #include "avio_internal.h"
 #include "dash.h"
@@ -152,6 +153,8 @@ typedef struct DASHContext {
     int max_url_size;
     char *cenc_decryption_key;

+    int init_threads;
+
     /* Flags for init section*/
     int is_init_section_common_video;
     int is_init_section_common_audio;
@@ -2033,6 +2036,331 @@ static void move_metadata(AVStream *st, const char *key, char **value)
     }
 }

+#if HAVE_THREADS
+
+struct work_pool_data
+{
+    AVFormatContext *ctx;
+    struct representation *pls;
+    struct representation *common_pls;
+    pthread_mutex_t *common_mutex;
+    pthread_cond_t *common_condition;
+    int is_common;
+    int is_started;
+    int result;
+};
+
+struct thread_data
+{
+    pthread_t thread;
+    pthread_mutex_t *mutex;
+    struct work_pool_data *work_pool;
+    int work_pool_size;
+    int is_started;
+    int has_error;
+};
+
+static void *worker_thread(void *ptr)
+{
+    int ret = 0;
+    int i;
+    struct thread_data *thread_data = (struct thread_data*)ptr;
+    struct work_pool_data *work_pool = NULL;
+    struct work_pool_data *data = NULL;
+    for (;;) {
+
+        // get next work item unless there was an error
+        pthread_mutex_lock(thread_data->mutex);
+        data = NULL;
+        if (!thread_data->has_error) {
+            work_pool = thread_data->work_pool;
+            for (i = 0; i < thread_data->work_pool_size; i++) {
+                if (!work_pool->is_started) {
+                    data = work_pool;
+                    data->is_started = 1;
+                    break;
+                }
+                work_pool++;
+            }
+        }
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(thread_data->mutex);
+
+        if (!data) {
+            // no more work to do
+            return NULL;
+        }
+
+        // if we are common section provider, init and signal
+        if (data->is_common) {
+            data->pls->parent = data->ctx;
+            ret = update_init_section(data->pls);
+            if (ret < 0) {
+                pthread_cond_signal(data->common_condition);
+                goto end;
+            }
+            else
+                ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_signal(data->common_condition));
+        }
+
+        // if we depend on common section provider, wait for signal and copy
+        if (data->common_pls) {
+            ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_wait(data->common_condition, data->common_mutex));
+            if (ret < 0)
+                goto end;
+
+            if (!data->common_pls->init_sec_buf) {
+                goto end;
+                ret = AVERROR(EFAULT);
+            }
+
+            ret = copy_init_section(data->pls, data->common_pls);
+            if (ret < 0)
+                goto end;
+        }
+
+        ret = begin_open_demux_for_component(data->ctx, data->pls);
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto end;
+
+    end:
+        data->result = ret;
+
+        // notify error to other threads and exit
+        if (ret < 0) {
+            pthread_mutex_lock(thread_data->mutex);
+            thread_data->has_error = 1;
+            pthread_mutex_unlock(thread_data->mutex);
+            return NULL;
+        }
+    }
+
+
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+static void create_work_pool_data(AVFormatContext *ctx, int stream_index,
+    struct representation *pls, struct representation *common_pls,
+    struct work_pool_data *init_data, pthread_mutex_t *common_mutex,
+    pthread_cond_t *common_condition)
+{
+    init_data->ctx = ctx;
+    init_data->pls = pls;
+    init_data->pls->stream_index = stream_index;
+    init_data->common_condition = common_condition;
+    init_data->common_mutex = common_mutex;
+    init_data->result = -1;
+
+    if (pls == common_pls) {
+        init_data->is_common = 1;
+    }
+    else if (common_pls) {
+        init_data->common_pls = common_pls;
+    }
+}
+
+static int start_thread(struct thread_data *thread_data,
+    struct work_pool_data *work_pool, int work_pool_size, pthread_mutex_t *mutex)
+{
+    int ret;
+
+    thread_data->mutex = mutex;
+    thread_data->work_pool = work_pool;
+    thread_data->work_pool_size = work_pool_size;
+
+    ret = AVERROR(pthread_create(&thread_data->thread, NULL, worker_thread, (void*)thread_data));
+    if (ret == 0)
+        thread_data->is_started = 1;
+
+    return ret;
+}
+
+static int init_streams_multithreaded(AVFormatContext *s, int nstreams, int threads)
+{
+    DASHContext *c = s->priv_data;
+    int ret = 0;
+    int stream_index = 0;
+    int i;
+
+    // alloc data
+    struct work_pool_data *init_data = (struct work_pool_data*)av_mallocz(sizeof(struct work_pool_data) * nstreams);
+    if (!init_data)
+        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
+
+    struct thread_data *thread_data = (struct thread_data*)av_mallocz(sizeof(struct thread_data) * threads);
+    if (!thread_data)
+        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
+
+    // alloc mutex and conditions
+    pthread_mutex_t work_pool_mutex;
+
+    pthread_mutex_t common_video_mutex;
+    pthread_cond_t common_video_cond;
+
+    pthread_mutex_t common_audio_mutex;
+    pthread_cond_t common_audio_cond;
+
+    pthread_mutex_t common_subtitle_mutex;
+    pthread_cond_t common_subtitle_cond;
+
+    // init mutex and conditions
+    ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_init(&work_pool_mutex, NULL));
+    if (ret < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (c->is_init_section_common_video) {
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_init(&common_video_mutex, NULL));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_init(&common_video_cond, NULL));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (c->is_init_section_common_audio) {
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_init(&common_audio_mutex, NULL));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_init(&common_audio_cond, NULL));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (c->is_init_section_common_subtitle) {
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_init(&common_subtitle_mutex, NULL));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_init(&common_subtitle_cond, NULL));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    // init work pool data
+    struct work_pool_data* current_data = init_data;
+
+    for (i = 0; i < c->n_videos; i++) {
+        create_work_pool_data(s, stream_index, c->videos[i],
+            c->is_init_section_common_video ? c->videos[0] : NULL,
+            current_data, &common_video_mutex, &common_video_cond);
+
+        stream_index++;
+        current_data++;
+    }
+
+    for (i = 0; i < c->n_audios; i++) {
+        create_work_pool_data(s, stream_index, c->audios[i],
+            c->is_init_section_common_audio ? c->audios[0] : NULL,
+            current_data, &common_audio_mutex, &common_audio_cond);
+
+        stream_index++;
+        current_data++;
+    }
+
+    for (i = 0; i < c->n_subtitles; i++) {
+        create_work_pool_data(s, stream_index, c->subtitles[i],
+            c->is_init_section_common_subtitle ? c->subtitles[0] : NULL,
+            current_data, &common_subtitle_mutex, &common_subtitle_cond);
+
+        stream_index++;
+        current_data++;
+    }
+
+    // start threads
+    struct thread_data *current_thread = thread_data;
+    for (i = 0; i < threads; i++) {
+        ret = start_thread(current_thread, init_data, nstreams, &work_pool_mutex);
+        if (ret < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+
+        current_thread++;
+    }
+
+cleanup:
+    // we need to cleanup even in case of errors, so we need to store results of init, run and cleanup
+    int initResult = ret;
+    int runResult = 0;
+    int cleanupResult = 0;
+
+    // join threads
+    current_thread = thread_data;
+    for (i = 0; i < threads; i++) {
+        if (current_thread->is_started) {
+            ret = AVERROR(pthread_join(current_thread->thread, NULL));
+            if (ret < 0)
+                cleanupResult = ret;
+        }
+        current_thread++;
+    }
+
+    // finalize streams and collect results
+    current_data = init_data;
+    for (i = 0; i < nstreams; i++) {
+        if (current_data->result < 0) {
+            // thread ran into error: collect result and break
+            runResult = current_data->result;
+            break;
+        }
+        else {
+            // thread success: create streams on AVFormatContext
+            ret = end_open_demux_for_component(s, current_data->pls);
+            if (ret < 0)
+                runResult = ret;
+        }
+        current_data++;
+    }
+
+    // cleanup mutex and conditions
+    ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_destroy(&work_pool_mutex));
+    if (ret < 0)
+        cleanupResult = ret;
+
+    if (c->is_init_section_common_video) {
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_destroy(&common_video_mutex));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            cleanupResult = ret;
+
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_destroy(&common_video_cond));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            cleanupResult = ret;
+    }
+
+    if (c->is_init_section_common_audio) {
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_destroy(&common_audio_mutex));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            cleanupResult = ret;
+
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_destroy(&common_audio_cond));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            cleanupResult = ret;
+    }
+
+    if (c->is_init_section_common_subtitle) {
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_mutex_destroy(&common_subtitle_mutex));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            cleanupResult = ret;
+
+        ret = AVERROR(pthread_cond_destroy(&common_subtitle_cond));
+        if (ret < 0)
+            cleanupResult = ret;
+    }
+
+    // return results if errors have occured in one of the phases
+    if (initResult < 0)
+        return initResult;
+
+    if (runResult < 0)
+        return runResult;
+
+    if (cleanupResult < 0)
+        return cleanupResult;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+#endif
+
 static int dash_read_header(AVFormatContext *s)
 {
     DASHContext *c = s->priv_data;
@@ -2067,6 +2395,23 @@ static int dash_read_header(AVFormatContext *s)
     if (c->n_subtitles)
         c->is_init_section_common_subtitle = is_common_init_section_exist(c->subtitles, c->n_subtitles);

+    int threads = 0;
+    int nstreams = c->n_videos + c->n_audios + c->n_subtitles;
+
+#if HAVE_THREADS
+    threads = FFMIN(nstreams, c->init_threads);
+#endif
+
+    if (threads > 1)
+    {
+#if HAVE_THREADS
+        ret = init_streams_multithreaded(s, nstreams, threads);
+        if (ret < 0)
+            return ret;
+#endif
+    }
+    else
+    {
     /* Open the demuxer for video and audio components if available */
     for (i = 0; i < c->n_videos; i++) {
         rep = c->videos[i];
@@ -2115,6 +2460,7 @@ static int dash_read_header(AVFormatContext *s)

     if (!stream_index)
         return AVERROR_INVALIDDATA;
+    }

     /* Create a program */
     program = av_new_program(s, 0);
@@ -2366,7 +2712,10 @@ static const AVOption dash_options[] = {
         OFFSET(allowed_extensions), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING,
         {.str = "aac,m4a,m4s,m4v,mov,mp4,webm,ts"},
         INT_MIN, INT_MAX, FLAGS},
-    { "cenc_decryption_key", "Media decryption key (hex)", OFFSET(cenc_decryption_key), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, INT_MIN, INT_MAX, .flags = FLAGS },
+    { "cenc_decryption_key", "Media decryption key (hex)", OFFSET(cenc_decryption_key),
+        AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, INT_MIN, INT_MAX, .flags = FLAGS },
+    { "init_threads", "Number of threads to use for initializing the DASH stream",
+        OFFSET(init_threads), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, {.i64 = 0}, 0, 64, FLAGS },
     {NULL}
 };

