Showmax expands African reach with first-ever Kiswahili interface

Showmax, Africa’s homegrown streaming service, has become the first streaming platform to offer an interface in Kiswahili for Tanzanian subscribers, marking a step forward in its mission to become Africa’s leading streaming service. 

This follows a number of other continental firsts, like becoming the first streamer to make mobile downloads possible for offline viewing, the first to launch a mobile-only plan, the first to launch a standalone Premier League mobile offering, and the first to stream a local concert.  

 According to UNESCO, Kiswahili is the most widely spoken African language in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as one of the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 230 million speakers. 

 The introduction of the Kiswahili interface is part of a broader strategy to enhance the overall user experience on Showmax for Africans. The service relaunched in February 2024 in South Africa in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky, running on a completely new app powered by Peacock. Showmax has since rolled out localised relaunches in countries including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, with a priority on local content and accessibility through localised payment solutions. 

 “Local content and offerings in local language continue to resonate strongly across the continent” says Byron du Plessis, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa. “Nine of the 10 most-streamed titles on Showmax last year were local, because our audiences want to see content that relates to their local cultures. Adding Kiswahili as a navigation option makes Showmax even more accessible and personal to a large market segment in Africa.” 

Africa’s largest producer of local content 

Showmax’s parent company, MultiChoice, is the single biggest producer of African content in the world, investing in local storytelling across multiple languages. From Kiswahili and isiZulu to Hausa, Yoruba, and Afrikaans, MultiChoice produces content in more African languages than any other content provider globally. 

Showmax continues to build on this heritage, with Originals and hit series in local languages, including: 

• isiZulu – Adulting 
• IsiXhosa – Soft Life 
• IsiZulu, isiXhosa, Sepedi and Sesotho – Youngins 
• Afrikaans – Koek 
• Yoruba – Wura 
• Kiswahili – Pepeta 

 Showmax is not just making African content more accessible; it is also curating a diverse mix of the best local and international entertainment. Exciting content releases in February include:  

• South Africa’s The Mommy Club S3 (15 Feb) – the record-breaking reality series 
• The White Lotus S3 (17 Feb) – the highly anticipated global hit 
• Suits: LA (24 Feb) – the spinoff of 2023’s most-streamed series 
• Tanzania’s Salaam Dar (14 Feb) – a must-watch music and dance film 
• Nairobi Bachelor (Fridays) – Kenya’s most talked-about dating show 

 By expanding its language offerings and reinforcing its local-first approach, Showmax is cementing its position as a leading Pan-African streaming service. 

For more of what to watch on Showmax, check out the February highlights here.