19 April 2021

How does Showmax work?

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Showmax is a streaming service that gives you access to loads of movies, series and live sport, on demand.

Sign up to Showmax and get unlimited access to a huge selection of movies, series, kids’ shows and documentaries. Plus, Showmax Pro gives you access to some of the world’s top live sport and live news channels.

What is Showmax?

Showmax is not a TV channel. It’s a video-on-demand streaming service that gives subscribers access to a huge catalogue of series, movies, documentaries and kids’ shows either online at showmax.com or using the Showmax app for phones, tablets, smart TVs, media players and gaming consoles.

Showmax is accessible on internet-connected devices like smartphones, smart TVs, laptops and tablets.

The month-to-month subscription fee gives subscribers unlimited access to the entire Showmax entertainment catalogue – watch whatever you like, as often as you like, for as long as you like. There’s no schedule, so there’s no waiting – everything on the platform is immediately available.

All you need is a subscription, and a device that can connect to the internet and you’ll have Showmax with you, wherever you are.

What packages does Showmax have?

Showmax‘s standard offering gives you access to thousands of series and movies, both international and local to stream.
Showmax Pro is a new service available for Showmax subscribers in Africa that bundles the existing Showmax entertainment offering with music channels, news and live sports streaming from SuperSport.
Live sport featured on Showmax Pro includes all Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and PSL games as well as a wide range of live sports events including athletics, professional boxing, and the world’s biggest marathons. Available sports differ between countries. When your live match is over, enjoy magazine shows, sports documentaries and recent sporting highlights.
Showmax Pro also includes a selection of live news channels, such as SABC News (South Africa only), Euro News, Africa News and Newzroom Africa. Read more.
Showmax Mobile and Showmax Pro Mobile are perfect if you prefer to stream Showmax on one mobile device (smartphone or tablet). You get the same great content at around half the price. Find out more about Showmax’s mobile options.

Country	Showmax	Showmax Mobile	Showmax Pro	Showmax Pro Mobile
South Africa	ZAR 99	ZAR 39	ZAR 449	ZAR 225
Kenya	KSh 760	KSh 300	KSh 2100	KSh 1050
Nigeria	NGN 2900	NGN 1200	NGN 6300	NGN 3200
Ghana	GHC 45.99	GHC 16.99	GHC 119.99	GHC 59.99
Rest of Africa	USD 7.99	USD 2.99	USD 17.99	USD 8.99

*Showmax Pro is also available in: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comores, Republic of Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, DRC, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Réunion, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

How to start your free trial

Sign up to Showmax with your credit or debit card and get 14 days of access to the entire catalogue for free. The free trial is not compatible with live sport, so Showmax Pro does unfortunately not have a free trial.

Go to showmax.com, sign up with your email address and create a password.
Choose cheque or credit card as your payment method. If you cancel within the 14-day free trial, nothing will be deducted off your card.
Stream your favourite shows for free for 14 days.
Once your trial has expired, your card will be charged each a month for continued access to Showmax. (There is no contract and there are no penalties for cancelling at any time.)

How to add Showmax to your DStv account

DStv customers can opt to pay for Showmax as part of their monthly DStv bill. If you’re a DStv Premium subscriber in South Africa, Kenya or Nigeria, there’s no cost for Showmax once you’ve added it to your DStv account.

For DStv Premium subscribers

Visit the DStv self-service website.
Sign in with your Connect ID.
Select My Products.
Choose the DStv Premium package.
Click Add Showmax on the Showmax banner.
Accept the quotation.

Once you’ve activated Showmax on the DStv Self Service website, you’ll be redirected to the Showmax website to sign up or sign in and start watching.

For DStv subscribers on other packages

DStv Compact and Compact Plus customers in certain countries qualify for a 50% Showmax discount, whereas DStv customers on Family, Access and Easyview have the option to add Showmax to their DStv bill, but pay the standard Showmax price.

Visit the DStv self-service website.
Sign in with your Connect ID.
Select My Products.
Choose a DStv package.
Click Link Showmax on the Showmax banner.
Accept the quotation.
Click Add Showmax to proceed.

Once you’ve activated Showmax on the DStv Self Service website, you’ll receive confirmation that you’ve been successful. Then you’ll be redirected to the Showmax website to sign up or sign in and start watching.

What if I am already a Showmax subscriber?

Sign in to the Showmax website.
Select My Account.
Manage Subscription.
Add to DStv.

For more information on how to add Showmax to your DStv account, click here.

And that’s it. Now you will get unlimited, free access to the entire Showmax catalogue.

There are currently no special deals for Showmax Pro for DStv subscribers.

Which devices support Showmax ?

Access Showmax on virtually any device that is connected to the internet.

Phone or tablet: Get the Showmax app to stream or download shows on your Android or iOS device.
Laptop or computer: Go to www.showmax.com on your favourite web browser to stream.
Smart TV: Stream Showmax on your smart TV or connect your laptop to your TV screen with an HDMI cable.
Media streaming device: Use your connected DStv Explora, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Sony PS4 (SA only) or Xbox One to stream Showmax onto your TV.
DStv Explora: The cost of your Showmax subscription is included in your DStv Premium membership, so you won’t pay a single cent. And if your Explora is connected to the internet, you’ll be able to stream movies and series from Showmax directly onto your TV through your Explora. Find out how here.

Supported devices may differ from country to country.
Live streaming on Showmax Pro is not available on gaming consoles or DStv Explora, and only on certain smart TVs.
For the full list of supported devices, go to the Showmax website or read What devices can I use?.

How to control data usage on Showmax

Showmax offers two clever ways for you to manage your data spend.

Download shows to watch offline: When you’re in a Wi-Fi zone, download episodes or movies on the Showmax app on your tablet or phone, and watch them offline later. Choose between four different download quality settings with specific file sizes – the lower the quality, the less data you will use for the download, and the less space the show will take up on your device.
Bandwidth capping: Setting a bandwidth cap helps you use less data by automatically adjusting the streaming quality so that you don’t exceed a certain number of GBs per hour while streaming. This is really handy if you are on a data budget. The lowest quality uses just 100MB per hour, with quality that’s just fine if you’re watching on a mobile device. Find out how to use bandwidth capping here.

What is there to watch on Showmax?

What sets Showmax apart is that you can watch whatever you like, whenever you like. There are no ads, no interruptions and no limits (except your self-control).