Is ShowMax worth it?

What do you get for your R99 ShowMax subscription – and is it money well spent?

Subscription video-on-demand or internet TV from ShowMax, gives viewers access to a variety of popular series, movies and kids shows online.

It’s 100% legal, with no ad breaks and accessible from virtually anywhere on smart devices – on the bus, at home, or on the beach.

All that’s needed is the right device and access to the internet to start watching.

ShowMax, which launched a year ago, has the largest subscription video catalogue in Africa.

It offers a host of unique features, designed specifically for South Africans, making the R99 pricetag a serious bargain.

Things that cost more than ShowMax:

 What you get with ShowMax: 

• Access to more than 25 000 episodes of local content like Binnelanders and Boer Soek ‘n Vrou on top of some of the most popular shows from Hollywood and the UK including Game Of Thrones (all seasons), Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, House of Lies, Scrubs (all seasons), The Flash, Mr Robot, Boardwalk Empire (all seasons), True Blood (all seasons), Downton Abbey (all seasons), Luther, Girls, Entourage, The Sopranos (all seasons), True Detective, The Good Wife, The Affair and more. Browse all shows here »
• Watch on two devices at once at no extra cost – the kids can watch the cartoons on the tablet while the parents watch series on the big screen.
• Download and watch offline – download shows to Android and Apple smartphones and tablets for viewing offline. ShowMax is the only streaming service that has this feature.
• Control how much data ShowMax uses – ShowMax’s bandwidth capping function reduces data consumption by selecting a lower streaming video-quality level. Optimise data usage for different devices by for example, setting the kids cartoons to low quality on the tablet and your smart TV to the maximum.
• Partnerships with local providers – Telkom’s entertainment bolt-on package, for example, reduces the cost of data and makes it easier to access ShowMax.
• No credit card needed – Buy prepaid vouchers from retailers such as Pick n Pay and Game, buy online with FNB eBucks, or add your bill to your Telkom or DStv account.
• Pay month to month – No lengthy contracts, subscribe month to month.

Sign up for an account and start streaming online using a smartphone, laptop, tablet, Apple TV, DStv Explora or smart TV.

It is also compatible with AirPlay and Google Chromecasts.

Access to an internet connection at 2MB per second (minimum), or (recommended) 4MB per second, ideally uncapped or with a large data allowance, for streaming the shows is needed.

Check out the data calculator to find out how much data you need.

With the ShowMax app on iOS and Android, you can download up to 25 shows over Wi-Fi and watch them offline later.

Visit the ShowMax website to find out more.