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Showmax

Showmax
Type of site
Video on demand
Available inEnglish (only available)
Founded2015
HeadquartersSouth Africa
Area served
IndustryEntertainment
Sub-Saharan African
ParentMultiChoice (70%)
NBCUniversal (30%)
URLshowmax.com
RegistrationRequired
Launched19 August 2015 (2015-08-19)
Current statusActive

Showmax is an online subscription video on demand (SVOD) service that launched[2] in South Africa on 19 August 2015.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]

Showmax uses a localisation strategy[6] to take on established video on demand competitors with a focus on local content and partnerships with mobile telcos.[7][8] 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.[9]

Showmax's engineering team was originally based in Czechia, but has since merged with Sky UK’s Global Streaming team.[10]

  1. ^ "Introduction". Showmax. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. ^ "ShowMax: we're better than Netflix".
  3. ^ Lautenbach, Kyle (21 August 2015). "Showmax officially launched in South Africa, here are the details". IGN Africa.
  4. ^ "MultiChoice and Comcast's NBCUniversal and Sky announce partnership". 2 March 2023.
  5. ^ "The new Showmax revolutionises streaming in Africa". 15 January 2024.
  6. ^ Wexler, Alexandra (24 December 2016). "In Africa, a Homegrown Rival Takes on Netflix". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  7. ^ Alagbe, Jesusegun (21 March 2024). "How Prime Video failed so spectacularly in Africa". Rest of World.
  8. ^ "Showmax and MTN partner to make streaming even more affordable in South Africa". 23 January 2024.
  9. ^ Dosunmu, Damilare (14 February 2024). "How an African streaming service dethroned Netflix". Rest of World.
  10. ^ "Meet Stefi, Engineering Manager". Sky Careers. Retrieved 28 November 2024.

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