The new Showmax will introduce three plans: Showmax Entertainment, Showmax Entertainment Mobile, and Showmax Premier League Mobile.
By Helena Olori
Africa’s premier streaming service, Showmax, has announced plans to launch a revamped version of its service this February. The strategic move follows the March 2023 partnership between Showmax’s parent company, MultiChoice Group, and media giants, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky TV. It aims to capture the ever-expanding African audience with an enhanced streaming service amidst stiff competition from global streamers.
The revamped service, which will be powered by NBCUniversal’s Peacock technology, promises a “brand-new look, a new app, and an upgraded product suite” that will feature HD quality content covering a diverse range of African Originals and highly anticipated global content from NBCUniversal and Sky TV.
As part of the February launch, Showmax will debut a record 21 Showmax Originals from four African countries – Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya – several international titles, and the continent’s first standalone Premier League mobile streaming plan catering to mobile users in over 40 African markets.
“2024 is a big year for Showmax”, says CEO Marc Jury. “We will be kicking it off with a content slate packed with world-class entertainment from the world’s biggest brands plus more African Originals than ever before and the first ever mobile Premier League plan for Africa.”
The 21 originals lined up for the launch include the adaptation of Angela Makholwa’s Red Ink and Catch Me a Killer, based on the memoir of South Africa’s first serial killer profiler; six reality TV shows (Widows Unveiled, Sadau Sisters, Chocolate Kings, What Will People Say? The Mommy Club, and The Real Housewives of Durban); young adult epics and comedy dramas (Youngins, Wyfie, Cheta’m, Koek, and Ekhaya Backpackers); a Nigerian documentary series, Free Men; new seasons of Flawsome, Single Kiasi and ENO; along with four films scheduled for Valentine’s Day release; Forever Yena, Intlawulo and Matilda en Matthys, and The Counsellor.
International titles like Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Halo, Lawman: Bass Reeves, and many more will also be available at launch.
According to the streaming service, over 1300 hours of new originals have been planned for 2024, availing subscribers an average of more than 3.5 hours of fresh local content daily.
The new Showmax will introduce three plans: Showmax Entertainment, Showmax Entertainment Mobile, and Showmax Premier League Mobile. Pricing details and launch dates will be announced soon.