Video on demand service, Showmax, has announced that it has launched a new service dubbed Showmax Pro that will include music channels, news, and live sport streaming from SuperSport.
Showmax began piloting sports livestreaming on its platform in June 2019, starting with South Africa, before rolling it out to other markets. They also included live news as part of its offering for a short period.
Showmax Pro will bundle existing content on Showmax with the new content. It will feature all Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and PSL games as well as a wide range of live sport events including IAAF Athletics, professional boxing, and the world’s biggest marathons. Showmax Pro will be available in two packages; Showmax Pro and Showmax Pro Mobile. The mobile only version will only be available on mobile devices and will be available at a cheaper price.
Showmax Pro will begin to roll out in Kenya and Nigeria from today 7th July. Additional countries will go live in the following weeks. The entire process is expected to be completed within 6-8 weeks with coverage across sub-Saharan Africa. The content on Showmax Pro will be as follows:
| Showmax | Showmax Pro | |||
| Showmax | Showmax Mobile | Showmax Pro | Showmax Pro Mobile | |
| Series, movies, kids’ shows, documentaries | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| IAAF Athletics, pro boxing, major international marathons, & more | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Music channels Trace Urban, Trace Gospel | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| News channels Africa News, Euronews, Newzroom Afrika | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Football: all Premier League, Serie A, PSL and La Liga games | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Number of concurrent streams | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Smartphone and tablet apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smart TV, laptop, Android TV, Apple TV apps | ✓ | – | ✓* | – |
| Maximum video resolution | HD | SD | HD | SD |
| 14-day trial | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| *Supported smart TVs: Samsung Tizen (2017-2020), LG WebOS (2014-2020) | ||||
Showmax originally launched in August 2015 and is available across sub-Saharan Africa. Speaking about Showmax’s history and what sets it apart, Niclas Ekdahl, CEO of the Connected Video division of MultiChoice, said:
“Showmax is an African video on demand service with many years’ experience operating on this continent. We’re local-first, which means listening to our customers and delivering African stories told in familiar voices as well as the best that Hollywood has to offer. Our local-first strategy is an advantage because it allows us to tailor our content, apps, packages, and partnerships specifically to what’s most important in Africa.”
The pricing for the Showmax package has gone up by Ksh. 10 and Showmax mobile by Ksh. 5. The pricing for Showmax and Showmax Pro in Kenya and Nigeria is as follows:
| Showmax | Showmax Pro | |||
| Showmax | Showmax Mobile | Showmax Pro | Showmax Pro Mobile | |
| Kenya | KSh 760 | KSh 380 | KSh 2100 | KSh 1050 |
| Nigeria | NGN 2900 | NGN 1450 | NGN 6300 | NGN 3200 |