Showmax launched back in 2015, stepping up to offer African audiences access to a global (and local) mix of series, films and more content when some overseas streaming services had yet to arrive on the continent. It’s now available in over 40 countries.

It’s been nine years, though, and Showmax is ready to evolve. Especially since Showmax owners MultiChoice announced a partnership last year with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky to create a streaming offering that further acknowledges the needs and wants of people in Africa. The official motivational statement for the new Showmax: “Making it effortless to access and afford the stories you love.”

The rebranded Showmax 2.0 officially launches on 12 February, and in the lead-up here are some of the main points you may be wondering about.

The new Showmax consists of three plans and two bundles

The new Showmax product suite will consist of three plans: Showmax Entertainment, Showmax Entertainment Mobile, and mobile-only Showmax Premier League. For more information about that last offer – a pioneering option for sports fans – see the next section. For the record, multi-device Showmax Entertainment is the streaming product fans are already familiar with, combining original African content, exclusive international series (sometimes express from overseas), an eclectic selection of movies, documentaries and kids’ shows.

You can also access Showmax Entertainment (or Showmax Entertainment Mobile,) and Premier League as a bundle.

The new Showmax includes a streaming first for Africa – and the world

Described as “Premier League in your pocket,” Showmax Premier League is the world’s first standalone mobile English Premier League product, offering football fans in Africa the ability to watch all 380 games of the EPL live. Also included with the match access is live in-depth analyses, AI-generated highlights packages and an extensive library of pre-filmed content, like player documentaries. Just note that this product is mobile only, in keeping with Showmax’s all-inclusive African audience focus.

Showmax 2.0 is priced for affordability

Okay, well how much will each plan cost you per month?

  • Showmax Entertainment actually drops to R89 (from the current R99)
  • Showmax Entertainment Mobile is R39
  • Showmax Premier League is R69
  • Showmax Entertainment Mobile + Premier League bundle is R99
  • Showmax Entertainment + Premier League bundle is R140

DStv customers can still enjoy Showmax for no additional cost, or heavily discounted

No changes here with the relaunch. DStv Premium customers will continue to receive Showmax Entertainment at no additional cost, while DStv Compact customers will pay R49 a month (enjoying an approximate 50% discount) to add Showmax to their monthly subscription. This applies to both traditional decoder users and DStv Stream members.

There will be multiple ways to pay

Acknowledging how many viewers do not have access to credit cards in Africa, there will be multiple ways to pay for Showmax 2.0. These include banks, mobile money providers, retailer systems, loadable vouchers, and other payment schemes. Expect the announcement of a Showmax data deal with a major telecoms partner within the next few weeks, probably not dissimilar to the Disney+ arrangement with MTN.

The Comcast partnership doesn’t mean a loss of Showmax content; quite the opposite

On the homegrown front, more than 1,300 hours of new Showmax Originals will be released in 2024 across Africa, including 21 Showmax Originals in February alone. That’s more fresh African content than ever before, with a commitment to increase it by 150% on 2023.

Meanwhile, the MultiChoice and Comcast partnership gives Showmax access to the content libraries of Universal Pictures, NBC, Peacock, Sky, DreamWorks Animation and Telemundo. However, it doesn’t end there. Showmax will continue to draw titles from Banijay, BBC, eOne, Fremantle, HBO, ITV, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery.

So no, you don’t have to miss out on The Last of Us Season 2, House of the Dragon and True Detective. All these series will eventually be returning, while the Showmax relaunch kicks off with the second season of Halo, straight from the US, as well as hit movies Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and Gran Turismo.

There’s still no 4K streaming… at least not yet

If you were hoping that Showmax 2.0 would mean a leap to 4K visual fidelity, well, you have a bit longer to wait. While Showmax’s migration onto the robust Peacock streaming platform means the potential is there, right now the needs of data-conscious African consumers come first – there’s even a data saving setting that drops consumption down to only 40MB per hour of streaming.

Translation: with the new Showmax, quality still maxes out at 1080 p, with new international content, like Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, and Halo, streaming in HD with Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The official word on the matter: “Showmax as ready to scale, and scale fast.”

The Showmax 2.0 migration kicks off on 23 January, and will be complete by 12 February

The sleek and responsive new Showmax app, which is underpinned by Comcast’s Peacock streaming platform, will become available in app stores from 23 January 2024. Existing Showmax customers will begin receiving communication about how to access the new app from the week of 15 January. By 12 February, new Showmax will be live in all 44 markets where the streaming service is available.