DStv Premium vs Showmax Pro – Live sport comparison

Showmax has launched an enhanced version of its streaming service called Showmax Pro, which offers a selection of live sport.

Other features offered by this upgraded version of the streaming service include music channels and news, as well as the existing movies and series offered by Showmax.

It is important to note that the service is initially available in Kenya and Nigeria, but it will roll out to South Africa within the next six-to-eight weeks.

There is no specific date for the South African launch of Showmax Pro, and the company noted that sport content and pricing may vary by country.

Showmax provided pricing for the Kenyan and Nigerian version of its Showmax Pro service, however, allowing us to compare the price of this standalone service with DStv’s satellite packages in these regions.

While the addition of news and music channels is a great addition for Showmax users, the real benefit of Showmax Pro is the ability to stream live sport.

For many DStv Premium customers, the addition of live sport to Showmax may compel them to cancel their satellite package and switch completely to Showmax Pro.

While Showmax Pro is much cheaper than the high-end satellite package, the selection of sport on Showmax Pro is not as extensive as that of DStv Premium.

We compared the live sport content offered by Showmax Pro with those offered through the SuperSport channels on DStv Premium.

Sport comparison

As the price and content offering announced for Showmax Pro referenced the Kenyan and Nigerian markets, we compared this information with the Kenyan version of DStv Premium.

The selection of live sport available on DStv Premium was sourced by referencing the SuperSport channels available on DStv Premium with the content on SuperSport’s website and the DStv guide for DStv Kenya.

We looked at the content slated to be aired over the next month under each sport category for DStv Premium and compared this with the list of live sport announced by MultiChoice for Showmax Pro.

It should be noted that both platforms also offer a large selection of sport-related content apart from live games.

Additionally, the selection of live sport across both platforms has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, which has resulted in the global suspension of many sporting activities.

The live comparison is shown below.

Pricing

DStv Premium is currently priced at R819 in South Africa, not including a R100 access fee and installation.

The Showmax Pro content offering and pricing for South Africa has not been announced yet, however, and we have therefore compared the Kenyan pricing for both platforms.

This pricing may change when Showmax Pro is launched locally, but this comparison serves to provide a rough idea of the content and price differences between Showmax Pro and DStv Premium.

Like the standard version of Showmax, Showmax Pro offers a mobile-only streaming platform for half the price of the full service. This is limited to a single stream and is not compatible with smart TVs or PCs.

It is unclear whether Showmax Pro will be offered as a free value-add service for DStv Premium subscribers in South Africa as Showmax currently is.

Below is the pricing of Showmax Pro, Showmax Pro Mobile, and DStv Premium in Kenya, with figures listed in both Kenyan Shillings (KES) and South African Rand.

Now read: Showmax Pro with live sport launched