Showmax: Naspers’ new Netflix competitor

Naspers’ new Netflix competitor is called Showmax, Channel24 reported.

News of the service’s name follows reports that Naspers is set to unveil the subscription video on demand (SVOD) service on 19 August 2015.

In SA, it will compete against Times Media Group’s Vidi and MTN FrontRow. However, industry sources have told MyBroadband that Naspers also plans to roll Showmax out to developing economies, with the aim to beat Netflix to market in those regions.

Netflix announced at the start of 2015 that it plans to have a global footprint by the end of 2016, with South Africa included on its roadmap.

To do this, Naspers acquired a stake in UAE-based VOD platform Icflix – which offers on-demand video services to Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia.

In addition to offering Indian cinema (Bollywood), Arabic cinema (Jazwood), and Hollywood content, Icflix also announced this year that it had invested in studios to produce original content – as Netflix does.

The domain showmax.co.za is registered to Naspers, with a postal address listed in Grand Baie, Mauritius, while showmax.com is registered to Naspers at an address in Hong Kong, via its subsidiary MIH.

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