MultiChoice-owned Showmax is adding Bafana Bafana Afcon football matches to its live-streaming sports offering, stepping up the pressure on rival Netflix in the South African market.

Last week, Showmax launched its sports offering commercially after a brief trial period, showing live-streamed games from the ICC Cricket World Cup.

The company will live-stream all Bafana Bafana Afcon games, it said on Thursday.

The move is an interesting way for Showmax to differentiate itself from the general video entertainment offerings from international rivals Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and draws on sister company SuperSport’s prowess in the area.

“Football fans will get to see all of Bafana Bafana’s matches in the Africa Cup of Nations,” Showmax said in a statement.

South Africa are in Group D with Morocco, Ivory Coast and Namibia. Their campaign kicks off on 26 June at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo, playing Ivory Coast.

Showmax’s new sport section, which includes a range of extended highlights from major sports events, popular magazine shows and live-streaming, is available on all Showmax apps and platforms except for Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation and some smart TVs (support will be added for these in the coming months). The sport content is available exclusively in South Africa for now.  — (c) 2019 NewsCentral Media