Showmax to launch R49/month mobile-only product

MultiChoice Group-owned streaming video platform Showmax will launch a cut-price version of its product aimed at smart device users who don’t consume video content on a television screen.

The product will cost R49/month — half the price of its existing R99/month offering — but will be limited to users of mobile devices only. It will provide “the full Showmax service”, MultiChoice Connected Video CEO Niclas Ekdahl said in an interview with TechCentral in Sandton on Thursday.

The move is designed to get Showmax in the hands of more consumers.

The new offering will use new compression algorithms to deliver content while consuming less data. “On 1GB, you can watch more than a full season of Game of Thrones,” Ekdahl said. “The next iteration in 2020 will further bring down the data consumed.”

He said reaching a mass market of viewers is “still more important” to MultiChoice than launching 4K-resolution streams. Though he said the company is also investigating 4K, it’s not at the top of its immediate priority list.

“Of course, we are focusing on both … but this is a key step for us to try to reach the mass market for people who only want to consume content over a connected smartphone.”

Better content

He said Showmax has greatly improved its content offering in the past year, adding many local programmes to the platform and offering the latest movies for streaming. It has also offered some live sports, including soccer and rugby, supplied by sister company SuperSport. “We didn’t really utilise the content within the group, certainly not from a local content perspective. We are now putting local favourites onto Showmax at the same time as the linear channels (on DStv).”

It’s even putting some content on Showmax before it gets broadcast on the linear platform. “This was a big shift in our mindset,” Ekdahl said.

At the same time, he said Showmax is rolling out a user experience that is tailored for young viewers. The new brand section aimed at children will also give parents the ability to control viewing, offering “proper” Pin protection and only serving content suitable for children of certain ages.  — © 2019 NewsCentral Media