MultiChoice has relaunched ShowMax, its subsidiary and streaming service with new exclusive features to entice the end user to sign up and stay with the platform. The move is part of the streaming platform’s big ambition to compete with international streamers such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
Comcast, US media conglomerate bought 30% stake in ShowMax last year for an undisclosed amount. The media giant also owns NBCUniversal in the US and Sky in the UK. According to tech insiders, Comcast is using the same technology they use to build Sky Cinema and Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service.
During the launch ShawMax emphasised is going to double down on mobile consumption and sports because African consumers love their sports and use mobile than any other continent in the world.
“The future of video entertainment is on mobile. Currently, about 70% of video entertainment on the African continent is viewed via a mobile device. There are 45 million mobile devices on the continent. Combine that with the most watched sporting property in the world, the Premier League, and we believe we have a winning product,” said MultiChoice South Africa and Showmax CEO Marc Jury.
The ShowMax 2.0 uses technology from WSC Sports, a US-based Israeli artificial intelligence company.
“With AI-generated highlights, subscribers can get quick updates without having to watch all the games. The AI watches the game and selects key moments to edit out. It then strings them together into a highlights package, which is loaded onto the platform. The tech is from WSC Sports,” said Showmax chief product officer Stephen Featham.
ShowMax’s new packages are as follows:
Showmax bundled mobile-only general entertainment and Premier League service for R99 per month.
Showmax Premier League mobile plan will be R69 per month
Showmax Mobile will be R39 per month
ShowMax General entertainment plan R89 per month
Top Sky executive Andrea Zappia was named chairman of Africa’s biggest streaming service MultiChoice Group’s Showmax after a deal with Comcast, as it looks to grow its base and compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime in the continent.
