MultiChoice to launch new Showmax in February – with price cuts

DStv-owner MultiChoice is set to usher in a “new era of Showmax” on 12 February as part of its attempt to win the streaming wars in Africa and compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney+.

MultiChoice will launch its new Showmax offering in February, but existing customers will start to be migrated to the new platform on 23 January.

Showmax 2.0 results from a partnership between MultiChoice and NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which powers the platform for the new product.

Aside from a new platform, MultiChoice now offers four different products – at lower price points than the original Showmax offering, which has cost R99 per month since its launch in 2015.

The first product is a multi-device, general entertainment offering comparable to the original Showmax product at R89 per month.

The second is a mobile entertainment offering, including Showmax’s general entertainment products on a mobile-only plan at R39 per month.

Thirdly, Showmax now offers a mobile-only Premier League product, allowing subscribers to access Premier League-related content exclusively on a mobile device for R69 per month.

Lastly, a mobile bundle offering combines general entertainment and Premier League-related content on a mobile-only plan for R99 per month.

The new Showmax is MultiChoice’s answer to the increasing competition in the African streaming space.

The DStv owner is hoping to take on international streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video in Africa and become the leading streaming service in that market.

To achieve this, MultiChoice partnered with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky. As part of the partnership, Showmax’s ownership will change. NBCUniversal will own 30%, and MultiChoice will own 70%.

MultiChoice South Africa CEO Marc Jury said this deal is the “coming together of two giants”.

Peacock will provide its international, third-party content and leading streaming technology, while MultiChoice offers its local content and African customer base.