MultiChoice has increased prices for its video streaming service Showmax, six months after the relaunch of the platform in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal.
However, Showmax Premier League pricing remains at R69 a month, giving subscribers access to every match of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
MultiChoice is banking on the popularity of the English Premier League in Africa to attract subscribers to the Showmax platform.
It is the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes, with a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.
“As a lifelong football fanatic, I can’t tell you how excited I am for the return of the greatest football league in the world,” says Showmax CEO Marc Jury.
“Pricing is something that all businesses have to review regularly, and we launched with attractive pricing on the new Showmax platform. We are thrilled that we’ve been able to keep Showmax Premier League and bundled Showmax plans unchanged, bringing all 380 Premier League matches to millions of football fans in Africa and continuing to focus on making streaming affordable and effortless.”
Showmax Entertainment will revert to its original R99 per month, which was the launch price in 2015, while Showmax Entertainment Mobile will be priced at R45, at the low-end of mobile streaming prices globally, says the company.
The overall viewing experience of Showmax continues to be enhanced in collaboration with the global Peacock team, it adds.
The price adjustments come as MultiChoice is pinning its hopes on the Showmax platform as its DStv service continues to lose subscribers.
The video entertainment group last month announced its financial results for the year ended 31 March, revealing that overall active subscribers declined by 9%.
However, the JSE-listed MultiChoice said FY24 was a pivotal year for Showmax as it relaunched across 44 markets in Sub-Saharan Africa on Peacock’s platform.
It said almost 100% of the eligible customer base was migrated to the new Showmax platform, and 88% of those migrated had reactivated their accounts in the seven weeks to year-end.
Over the years, MultiChoice’s subscriber numbers have reduced amid pressure from global streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.
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