7 July 2020
Showmax launches new live-streaming service
Updated 19 April 2021 with latest pricing.
Showmax Pro features all Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and PSL games, as well as a wide range of other live sport events. The service initially rolled out in Nigeria and Kenya, with 40 additional countries following shortly after, including South Africa.
This table gives details of the new Showmax Pro service:
| Showmax | Showmax Pro | |||
| Showmax | Showmax Mobile | Showmax Pro | Showmax Pro Mobile | |
| Series, movies, kids’ shows, documentaries | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| IAAF Athletics, pro boxing, major international marathons, & more | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Music channels Trace Urban, Trace Gospel | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| News channels Africanews, Euronews, Newzroom Afrika | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Football: all Premier League, Serie A, PSL and La Liga games | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Number of concurrent streams | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Smartphone and tablet apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smart TV, laptop, Android TV, Apple TV apps | ✓ | – | ✓* | – |
| Maximum video resolution | HD | SD | HD | SD |
| 14-day trial | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| *Supported smart TVs: Samsung Tizen (2017-2020), LG WebOS (2014-2020) | ||||
Showmax originally launched in August 2015 and is available across sub-Saharan Africa. Speaking about Showmax’s history and what sets it apart, Niclas Ekdahl, CEO of the Connected Video division of MultiChoice, said:
“Showmax is an African video on demand service with many years’ experience operating on this continent. We’re local-first, which means listening to our customers and delivering African stories told in familiar voices as well as the best that Hollywood has to offer. Our local-first strategy is an advantage because it allows us to tailor our content, apps, packages, and partnerships specifically to what’s most important in Africa.”
In June 2019, Showmax began testing sport live-streaming, and the new Showmax Pro service is based on the results of this. Ekdahl said about sport streaming:
“The live sport test we ran on Showmax in conjunction with SuperSport has been well received, so that’s forming an integral part of our new Showmax Pro service.”
Another key development for African markets has been adapting the service for the data connectivity constraints on the continent and focusing on the most-used viewing devices. In November last year, Showmax launched a mobile-only service for smartphones and tablets featuring all of the Showmax content but at half the cost of the standard Showmax service and consuming less data. This service has also proven popular, so in addition to the standard version of Showmax Pro there will also be a mobile-only version at half the price.
Talking about the role of a mobile-only option, Ekdahl said:
“What else have we learned about operating an internet video service in Africa? Mobile usage is mainstream, so having a one-size-fits-all big screen service may not be the best solution here. With the mobile-only version of Showmax Pro, anyone with a smartphone in sub-Saharan Africa will be able to get the best African content, the best of Hollywood, and all of the best sporting action. This is something no other service is doing and we think it’s a game changer.”
The pricing for Showmax and Showmax Pro is as follows:
| 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 |
| Uganda | UGX 30,300 | UGX 11,499 | UGX 67,200 | UGX 33,600 |
| 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 |