Multichoice to pull the plug on Showmax amid losses
Showmax will be discontinued following a comprehensive review of MultiChoice Group’s streaming operations.
The decision comes amid major changes to the ownership of Showmax’s parent company, MultiChoice. French media giant Canal+ recently moved to acquire MultiChoice, a deal expected to reshape the group’s future streaming and content strategy across Africa.
“The substantial annual losses experienced by the Showmax business have proved unsustainable,” said MultiChoice in a statement.
The Showmax board made this decision as part of a broader effort to strengthen financial discipline and optimise investment in an increasingly capital-intensive global streaming environment.
MultiChoice said the decision to phase out Showmax reflects its focus on building a sustainable and competitive business for the long term in an increasingly demanding global streaming environment.
The company added that discontinuing Showmax’s services will not involve retrenchments. The group said it will engage with employees and support them through various transition options.
“Canal+ will continue to invest in premium content for MultiChoice subscribers, technological innovation and strategic partnerships to consolidate its leadership in the African entertainment market,” the company also said on Thursday.
Further details on the expanded content offering and platform upgrades will be shared in due course.
In a message to customers, MultiChoice said there will be no interruption to current services.
“You can continue streaming as usual, and no action is required from you at this time,” the company said.
“Further details regarding our expanded content offering and platform upgrades will be shared in due course. We want to reassure our Showmax subscribers that they are our priority as we evolve our services to deliver a superior streaming experience.”
MultiChoice launched Showmax across Africa 11 years ago in August 2015 to compete with the advent of streamers like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon’s Prime Video, Disney+ and others which all became available on the continent and started biting into MultiChoice’s legacy pay-TV subscriber base.
MultiChoice has already started to rebrand several Showmax Originals as content for its television channels, including Africa Magic, M-Net, Mzansi Magic, and KykNET.
Two years ago, in February 2024, MultiChoice, in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, relaunched Showmax, utilising the technology behind the Peacock streaming service.
In recent years, Showmax has experimented with subscription models tailored to African audiences, including mobile-only entertainment plans and a dedicated English Premier League streaming package, which allows subscribers to watch live matches on their phones at a lower rate.
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