South African companies MultiChoice, eMedia, Telkom, and Vodacom all offer streaming services that provide on-demand access to TV shows and movies.<\/p>\n
A rapidly growing market, the streaming industry in Africa had 5.11 million subscribers<\/a><\/strong> as of September 2021.<\/p>\n The MultiChoice Group’s Showmax is the most popular South African-owned streaming service.<\/p>\n MyBroadband asked all four companies for details about their services. While they answered questions about their technology and plans for 2022, all declined to reveal how many subscribers they currently have.<\/p>\n Offering a range of HBO programming, South African-produced shows and movies, and a selection of live sports, Showmax is available to South African residents from R39 per month for the mobile package.<\/p>\n Showmax’s mobile plan allows users to stream in standard definition, while its standard package offers up 720p high definition content.<\/p>\n The standard plan allows subscribers to register up to five devices for R99 per month.<\/p>\n In 2022, Showmax subscribers will have the opportunity to stream Euphoria season 2, the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, and several Showmax Originals.<\/p>\n “We have the biggest slate of Showmax Originals ever in 2022 and we have no doubt these are going to continue to delight and entertain our subscribers this year,” said Candice Fangueiro, head of content at Showmax.<\/p>\n Vodacom’s Video Play streaming service is available to South Africans on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.<\/p>\n Subscribers can choose to pay R25 for a day, R40 for a week, or R99 for a month’s worth of viewing.<\/p>\n Vodacom says that its on-demand video service allows subscribers to watch the latest movies, series, kids shows, and music videos anywhere in South Africa.<\/p>\n The service also allows users to buy blockbuster movies at a once-off price without the need for a subscription, as well as a watch selection of films for free.<\/p>\n E-tv’s eVOD video streaming service was launched in August 2021<\/a><\/strong>, offering users the ability to watch over 2,500 hours of content for free upon its release.<\/p>\n The service also has content that is not available to free users for a subscription fee of R5 per day, R15 per week, or R29.99 per month.<\/p>\n A subscription will also unlock “Fast Forward” \u2014 a feature that lets viewers watch five days’ worth of their favourite soap in advance.<\/p>\n According to its channel director, Marlon Davids, eMedia will be spending R100 million per year on local content for the platform.<\/p>\n “In terms of the investment in the local broadcast industry, we’ve spent over R100-million per year \u2014 that’s what our investment’s going to be and that includes at least four eOriginal series for the platform, as well as at least ten movies per year,” he said.<\/p>\n Telkom launched its streaming service<\/a><\/strong> in November 2020, initially offering a free subscription and an “AMP” subscription.<\/p>\n TelkomOne’s AMP subscription price has remained unchanged at R7 per day or R49 per month.<\/p>\n It has also added a Frightfan subscription for R4 per day or R29 per month.<\/p>\n Telkom told MyBroadband that in 2022 it plans to introduce more movie titles and channels, featuring both local and international content.<\/p>\n It has also already launched animated content for kids and young adults through the Warner Media brands Toonami and Boing.<\/p>\n The pricing and details of these subscription services are compared below.<\/p>\nShowmax<\/h3>\n
Vodacom Video Play<\/h3>\n
E-tv eVOD<\/h3>\n
TelkomONE<\/h3>\n