MultiChoice, Africa’s largest television operator, is partnering with US-based Comcast’s NBCUniversal and UK-based Sky to build a pan-African streaming service.
The service aims to bring the world’s best content and technology to streaming customers across MultiChoice’s 50 market footprint in sub-Saharan Africa.
This streaming service is not entirely new, but rather an improved version of MultiChoice’s current streaming platform. show max70% owned by MultiChoice and 30% owned by NBCUniversal, will leverage Peacock’s global technology.
“We launched Showmax in 2015 as Africa’s first streaming service and are extremely proud of our success to date. This agreement is a great opportunity for our Showmax team to reach even greater heights by working with a world-leading company from Comcast and its subsidiaries,” said Calbo Mawela, CEO of MultiChoice.
Mawela added: “This new business venture deepens our already strong relationship and builds on the Sky Glass technology partnership we announced last September. We believe we are well-positioned to build a winning platform in the years ahead.”
Curation of domestic and international content
The new version of Showmax’s content will be a mix of locally produced content from MultiChoice, international material from NBCUniversal and Sky, third-party content from HBO, Warner Bros. International, Sony and others, and live English Premier League (EPL) soccer coverage.
The partnership will also provide access to African content such as Showmax Originals and local content from MultiChoice’s own channels such as Mzansi Magic, African Magic and Maisha Magic.
Peacock’s streaming platform had more than 20 million paying subscribers in the U.S. as of the end of 2022, and Matt Strauss, chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at NBCUniversal, said the new partnership in Africa is an opportunity to further expand Peacock’s global presence.
In Nigeria, NBCUniversal will indirectly hold a 23.7% stake in the local subsidiary.
Expanding streaming opportunities
The service comes as Africa approaches a tipping point in terms of broadband connectivity and affordability. It also aims to build a more competitive platform to take on streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which are expanding their reach across the continent.
Netflix and Amazon Prime have been in Africa since 2016, and many other streaming services have followed suit in the market. Disney+ will hit the market in mid-2022 Released in 6 African countriesmost of which is in North Africa.
Content on the revamped Showmax platform will be a blend of domestic and international entertainment and sports. (Source: Image via Freepik).
With significant growth in internet connectivity, a young population, and a growing middle class, Africa offers significant growth opportunities for streaming services.
The number of video-on-demand subscribers in Africa is expected to reach 13.7 million by 2027, up from 4.89 million at the end of 2021, according to a market research firm. research and marketwhile revenue is expected to triple from USD 623 million in 2021 to USD 2 billion in 2027.
According to the group, details such as the launch date, content, and price of the new Showmax service will be announced at a later date.
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