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Type of site | OTT platform |
|---|---|
| Available in | English (only available) |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | , South Africa |
| Area served |
|
| Industry | Entertainment Sub-Saharan African |
| Parent | MultiChoice (70%) NBCUniversal (30%) |
| URL | showmax |
| Registration | Required |
| Users | 3.1 million (As of 2024[update])[2] |
| Launched | 19 August 2015 |
| Current status | Active |
Showmax is a subscription-based over-the-top video on demand streaming service that launched[3] in South Africa on 19 August 2015.[4] Its majority owner is MultiChoice, which owns 70% of the Showmax group, while American conglomerate NBCUniversal owns 30% in all territories except Nigeria, where NBCUniversal holds an indirect 23.7% stake in the local subsidiary.[5] In 2023, Showmax announced a partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal and Sky. The new Showmax launched in February 2024, with a brand-new app and streaming platform, as well as an unprecedented content slate.[6]
Showmax uses a localisation strategy[7] to take on established video on demand competitors with a focus on local content and partnerships with mobile telcos.[8][9] It has a customer base of 2.1 million subscribers Africa-wide first place in the continent's market overtaking Netflix's 1.8 million by November 2023.[10] The Showmax catalogue consists of series, movies and documentaries from Hollywood, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the UK, among others, and content in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Kiswahili, Sepedi, SeTswana, Sesotho and isiXhosa, and other African languages.
Showmax's engineering team was originally based in the Czech Republic, but has since merged with Sky UK’s Global Streaming team.[11]
- ^ "Introduction". Showmax. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ "Surprise in Showmax and Netflix subscriber battle". Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "ShowMax: we're better than Netflix".
- ^ Lautenbach, Kyle (21 August 2015). "Showmax officially launched in South Africa, here are the details". IGN Africa.
- ^ "MultiChoice and Comcast's NBCUniversal and Sky announce partnership". 2 March 2023.
- ^ "The new Showmax revolutionises streaming in Africa". 15 January 2024.
- ^ Wexler, Alexandra (24 December 2016). "In Africa, a Homegrown Rival Takes on Netflix". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Alagbe, Jesusegun (21 March 2024). "How Prime Video failed so spectacularly in Africa". Rest of World.
- ^ "Showmax and MTN partner to make streaming even more affordable in South Africa". 23 January 2024.
- ^ Dosunmu, Damilare (14 February 2024). "How an African streaming service dethroned Netflix". Rest of World.
- ^ "Meet Stefi, Engineering Manager". Sky Careers. Retrieved 28 November 2024.