PlayOn is a digital video recorder (“DVR”) software company created by MediaMall Technologies, which was founded in 2003. This software allows users to record and save content from streaming channels such as Netflix to their personal computers or mobile devices. 

PlayOn sold “lifetime subscriptions” to PlayOn Desktop, a windows-based DVR program, for $70. Customers who purchased these subscriptions report that they can no longer use PlayOnDesktop if they are using Windows 11 or later and experience issues with earlier operating systems as well. One user’s “lifetime subscription” was usable for less than 2 years. 

These customers report that when PlayOn Desktop stopped working, they received prompts to “upgrade” to PlayOn Home. PlayOn Home is a new program that is essentially the same as PlayOn Desktop but costs $4.99 per month or $36.50 for the first year and $39.99 each year thereafter for unlimited downloads.  

Customers view the release of PlayOn Home as a way to scam lifetime subscribers of PlayOn Desktop into paying for a monthly subscription service that they have already purchased a lifetime subscription for. 

PlayOn maintains that a “lifetime subscription” is for the life of the product, not the life of the customer. PlayOn has announced that they will no longer release updates for PlayOn Desktop, though they will continue to provide technical and troubleshooting support. PlayOn is offering PlayOn Desktop purchasers 3 or more months of PlayOn Home for free, depending on when they purchased their subscription. However, PlayOn does not appear to have offered any refunds. 

PlayOn Cloud’s, the terms and conditions contain an arbitration provision. However, is it not clear whether PlayOn Desktop’s terms of service contained an arbitration provision.