The President of the Polish competition authority has launched an investigation into HBO Europe regarding violations of collective consumer interests. The allegations include unilateral changes to the list of devices compatible with the HBO service and inadequate communication about the technical requirements of the service.

The authority is examining whether consumers were properly informed about the risk of losing access to the service during their subscription period. Many users have reported being unable to access the HBO platform on their televisions, despite having paid for a subscription.

The President of the authority, Tomasz Chróstny, expressed concerns that such situations could stem from unfair market practices. He highlighted that the unilateral removal of certain devices from the compatibility list forces users into a position where they must purchase new devices to continue viewing content.

Additionally, the authority is scrutinizing the terms of service, which do not guarantee ongoing compatibility with devices that were compatible at the time of subscription. This lack of clarity could lead to economic consequences for consumers, including the loss of value from their subscriptions.

The investigation also focuses on how technical requirements and device compatibility information were communicated to consumers, noting that such information was often only available in terms and conditions or on the website, rather than in a more accessible format.

Violations of consumer interests can result in fines of up to 10% of the company's turnover for each infringement, as well as the obligation to rectify the situation, including refunds to affected customers.

This investigation is part of a broader effort by the Polish competition authority, which has previously taken action against Netflix and is currently reviewing practices of other major companies like Apple and Google.