MultiChoice announces Showmax 2.0 launch date — with big changes
MultiChoice has announced that the revamped Showmax platform will launch in February 2024, replacing the standard and Pro subscriptions with Showmax Entertainment, Showmax Entertainment Mobile, and Showmax Premier League.
The streaming platform’s reworked model comes as the result of its partnership with Comcast-owned Peacock and Sky, established earlier this year.
The Showmax Entertainment and Entertainment Mobile plans offer similar content, with the only differences being the type of device on which one can stream, the number of concurrent streams, video quality, and likely price.
As the name implies, Showmax Entertainment Mobile is only accessible on mobile devices. It offers only one concurrent stream per subscription and limits video resolution to standard definition.
On the other hand, Showmax Entertainment can be streamed on mobile devices, smart TVs, laptops, and media streaming devices.
It allows two simultaneous streams and lets subscribers watch programming in high definition.
The two Entertainment plans don’t provide access to all Premier League live matches and extra content from the competition.
However, that’s where Showmax Premier League comes in.
“Powered by SuperSport and made for mobile users, Showmax Premier League is the first standalone Premier League mobile streaming service ever to launch in Africa and will take every single match of the world’s most popular football league to every corner of sub-Saharan Africa,” said MultiChoice.
While Showmax Premier League offers zero access to general entertainment like series, movies, kids shows, news, and documentaries, it provides live coverage of all Premier League matches and extra content.
However, it should be noted that the Showmax Premier League plan is mobile-only and won’t work on smart TVs, laptops, or media streaming devices.
Like the Showmax Entertainment Mobile plan, the Premier League subscription’s resolution maxes out at standard definition and only allows one concurrent stream.
As a preview to the relaunch, Showmax released a first look at its new logo, which appears to carry a similar design — at least font-wise — to Peacock in the US.
“We can’t wait to share the new Showmax,” says Marc Jury, Showmax CEO.
“We have an incredibly powerful new technology platform, a bold brand that truly represents our driving spirit and a content slate that is unmatched. No other streaming service in Africa can offer what Showmax is bringing to the table in the new year.”
MultiChoice added that Showmax’s migration to the global Peacock streaming platform allows for rapid scalability, which the broadcaster plans to leverage.
“The robust platform is used across the globe and is a leader in sports streaming, having successfully live-streamed the Super Bowl to more than six million users simultaneously,” it said.
In its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2023, MultiChoice said its partnership with Comcast will enable it to deliver an additional $1 billion (R18.2 billion) in revenue in the medium term.
“This service, which is set to benefit from rising connectivity and smart device uptake that enhances accessibility and scalability, will enable MultiChoice to double its customer base and deliver an additional US$1 billion in revenue in the medium term,” it said.
The featured offered with each of Showmax’s new subscriptions are compared in the table below.
| Showmax subscription breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature | Showmax Entertainment | Showmax Entertainment Mobile | Showmax Premier League |
| Premier League live matches and extra content | No | No | Yes |
| General entertainment: series, movies, kids’ shows, documentaries, etc. | Yes | Yes | No |
| Concurrent streams | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Mobile app support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewing on Smart TV, Laptop, Streaming device | Yes | No | No |
| Maximum resolution | FHD | FHD | SD |
| Downloads for offline viewing | Yes | Yes | Yes (excluding live matches) |
| Data saver settings | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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