Showmax has launched a subscription-free streaming service in South Africa – ‘Showmax Free’. This service is expected to feature “hand-picked content slate that gives customers an opportunity to sample some of Showmax’s entertainment”.
Showmax Free will feature local movies, series and sports shows. Users will be able to stream movies and binge-watch the first few episodes of available series for free – however, they will see adverts during playback and be prompted to upgrade to Showmax paid plans.
Customers will be able to upgrade to the ad-free Showmax entertainment catalogue to access complete seasons of the latest local and international series, blockbuster movies and kids’ content. For live sport, users will need to subscribe to Showmax Pro.
“Ad-supported streaming services are a growing trend internationally. The great thing about this is you don’t need a credit card, or to make any payment; you can literally try before you subscribe,” says Yolisa Phahle, CEO of General Entertainment and Connected Video at MultiChoice Group.
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“We’re proud to have an extensive collection of the continent’s most-loved original African content to share with our customers and introduce them to the world of streaming on Showmax.”
No account is needed to stream the ad-supported service, which is currently only available in South Africa.
Showmax to Launch Live Sport Offering in South Africa
Showmax is expected to launch its new service – Showmax Pro – in South Africa, after initially rolling out in Nigeria, Kenya and 40 additional countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Showmax Pro will bundle the existing Showmax entertainment service with music channels, news, and most excitingly, live sport streaming from SuperSport. It will feature all Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and PSL games, as well as a wide range of other live sport events.
Here’s a closer look at Showmax offerings:
| 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 | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
