Showmax to shut down its service outside Africa from December 1

MultiChoice’s on-demand video streaming service, Showmax, has announced a change in availability as of December 1, 2023, Showmax will no longer be accessible outside of African markets. This decision stems from what the company refers to as a “strategic decision” to focus exclusively on the African market and cater to its growing customer base on the continent.

The video streaming service stated, “From 1 December, we will be available only in African markets.” The change will officially take effect at midnight on November 30, 2023.

Up until this announcement, the current version of the streaming service has been accessible in regions beyond Africa. Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and North America have had access to the service since December 2015. This allowed South African expatriates and travellers to access exclusive content, including Showmax Originals and a wide array of local productions featured on DStv channels like Mzansi Magic and KykNET.

This shift comes as MultiChoice gears up to launch a revamped Showmax powered by technology from NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform. The “Showmax 2.0” project is a move resulting from a major deal with the U.S. media and entertainment conglomerate, NBCUniversal. As part of this agreement, NBCUniversal will acquire a 30% stake in a new Showmax group named EarthCo, with MultiChoice retaining 70% ownership of the entity.

MultiChoice has indicated that the revamped service will blend its growing investment in local content with an extensive international content pipeline licensed from NBCUniversal and Sky.

“This will be complemented by third-party content from HBO, Warner Brothers International, Sony, and others, as well as live English Premier League football”, Multichoice added.

In a separate FAQ section, the streaming service said its new streaming platform would only be available in 44 sub-Saharan African countries and expected to launch before the end of March 2024.

Read More: Can Showmax’s old licensing tricks help it beat Netflix in Africa’s streaming war?

Partial availability for MultiChoice content beyond Showmax

The streaming service subordinate announced that while most of its original content is tailored for its platform, a subset of co-productions and original content will occasionally be accessible on various global entertainment platforms. This will offer hope for expats and international fans of MultiChoice’s content who may still enjoy some of it elsewhere.

“MultiChoice has seen a huge increase in demand for our African content, with MultiChoice Studios’ international sales seeing 38% growth in the 2023 financial year,” the company explained.

“Similarly, we’ve seen strong sales for our African editions of The Real Housewives franchise, through our partnership with NBCUniversal Formats. In the future, we’ll continue to work with global distribution partners to take our content to the widest possible international audience”, the streaming service mentioned.

Controversy surrounding Showmax shutdown

While the video streaming service initially indicated that the shutdown of the service for international subscribers would begin in December, recent reports suggest otherwise. A Twitter user, Egypt Koketso (@mamiperez_), claimed to have been cut off from the service in the past few days, even before the stipulated date.

Koketso expressed frustration, stating that Showmax had “cancelled all accounts outside Africa,” making it impossible for her to access the service in her country. She shared a screenshot of a conversation with her mother, highlighting an error message from Showmax, which confirmed that the service was no longer available in her region.

Interestingly, Koketso’s Twitter profile featured not only the South African flag but also the flag of Mauritius, a sub-Saharan African country. This means Mauritius might not be included in the list of 44 countries where the new Showmax service will be accessible initially.

Talking about this, the video streaming service website acknowledges that “There are a few African countries that will not have access to Showmax at launch, but details will become available soon.”

Koketso further voiced her concern about having already paid for her November subscription. Showmax had previously assured that customers with auto-renewal subscriptions would not be charged after October 30, 2023, and could continue accessing the service until the expiration of their subscription.

In all this, a Showmax spokesperson has denied any premature disconnection of customers and encouraged those facing service access issues to reach out via the website’s live chat feature or email [email protected] for investigation and resolution.

Read More: MultiChoice Group appoints Marc Jury as interim CEO of Showmax as Yolisa Phahle steps down