[REVISION HISTORY]

Disney+ faces legal and consumer pressure in Europe

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What changed

2026-10-31 16:46 UTC → 2026-11-01 02:51 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Following a July 23, 2026, Unified Patent Court injunction regarding InterDigital’s HEVC patents, Disney+ suspended 4K UHD and HDR support across eleven EU member states, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. This forced Premium subscribers to a maximum of 1080p SDR resolution. By early August 2026, Disney+ began a phased restoration of 4K using an alternative streaming technology, likely the VP9 codec. This rollout was limited to specific hardware, such as certain Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, LG (2020+), Sky Glass, and Sky Stream devices, while Apple TV remained excluded. However, by late August, subscribers reported that 4K remained unavailable even on listed compatible hardware, with customer support describing the service as being in a “verification phase.” By mid-September 2026, InterDigital sought at least 101.7 million euros in damages via the Munich Regional Court I, expanding legal proceedings to include the VP9 codec. Chief Legal Officer Josh Schmidt asserted that VP9 is not a valid workaround and still infringes on patented innovations. In response to the service degradation, consumer protection groups have intensified pressure. In mid-October 2026, Euroconsumers, including DECO PROteste, Altroconsumo, and Test Achats/Test Aankoop, issued a formal notice of non-compliance. They are demanding an automatic mechanism to reduce monthly fees and seeking compensation of at least 5 euros per month for affected users. Advocates also allege that the removal of casting capabilities, such as Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Cast, was not adequately addressed. By late October 2026, Disney+ began restoring HDR10 via VP9 and VP9 Profile 2 codecs in countries like Germany and France, though Dolby Vision remains unavailable and compatibility remains limited for Samsung, Panasonic, and Apple TV users.

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