ShowMax expanding to take on Netflix

ShowMax, the Netflix competitor from Naspers, will be expanding outside South Africa into the rest of Africa, Europe, America, and Australasia next year, Bloomberg reported.

Naspers will target over 15 million subscription VOD viewers outside South Africa, with Samsung Electronic agreeing to include the ShowMax app on its smart TVs.

ShowMax will provide Afrikaans content in international markets next month, and West African shows next year, Bloomberg said.

Naspers’ ambition to compete with Netflix is no secret, with sources telling MyBroadband in August that the company aims to to beat the US video on demand (VOD) service to market in attractive developing economies.

ShowMax first launched in South Africa on 19 August 2015, offering a variety of movies and TV shows, including titles from HBO such as Game of Thrones, for a monthly fee of R99.

Netflix has said that it plans to expand to nearly every country in the world by the end of 2016, and has confirmed that South Africa forms part of these plans.

Queried about its global expansion plans, ShowMax declined to comment.

More ShowMax and Netflix news

Vodacom wants you to pay for Netflix with airtime

Netflix vs ShowMax – price and content comparison

Netflix coming soon to South Africa

ShowMax Apple TV app launch update

ShowMax gets new series within 24 hours of premiere