MultiChoice-owned streaming firm Showmax has reviewed its prices downwards while launching a standalone Showmax English Premier League (EPL) package.
According to a press release dated Tuesday, January 16, the price review and the new offerings come ahead of a phased relaunch next month as it steps up the battle for customers in the video streaming environment.
Ten months after MultiChoice, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky announced a joint streaming vision for Africa, the new Showmax is here, featuring a refreshed brand and a massive content lineup, all delivered on a powerful new streaming platform.
The standalone Premier League sports package will see fans in Kenya following the most-watched league in the world pay just Sh500 a month in exchange for watching all 380 games offered live.
In addition, there are two more Showmax plans available to customers in 44 African countries: Showmax Entertainment on mobile for an unbelievable Sh300 a month, as well as the Showmax Entertainment plan, where the monthly price falls from Sh760 to Sh650 per month.
Detailing the plans at the launch event on Monday, Showmax CEO Marc Jury said at the heart of the new offering was the standalone Premier League plan, which will allow Showmax subscribers in Africa to stream the league’s content on their mobile phones.
“There are currently just over 450 million smartphones in the hands of individuals across Africa … and more than 250 million avid football lovers on the continent,” said Jury.
“Showmax Premier League is a game-changing product that gives individuals a ticket to the football they love, wherever they are, on the device they always have with them, at a price that’s impossible not to love.”
Speaking via a pre-recorded video, Premier League CEO Richard Masters said Africa was incredibly important to the league and its clubs, with about 20% of television audiences on any given match day coming from Africa.
Alongside the Premier League offer, the new app will see about 21 new Showmax original local content programmes launching in February, with a targeted 150% increase in local production output this year.
The relaunch of Showmax coincides with increasing competition in Africa’s SVOD sector. Foreign players like Netflix and Amazon Prime are increasing their spending on the continent, partnering with local studios to churn out original content.
The new Showmax app will become available in app stores from 23 January 2024 onward, as part of a staggered migration process across 44 markets.
