On top of launching ShowMax officially in Uganda, today the streaming service has also unveiled another streaming service called Showmax Pro, which offers a selection of live sport.
Other features offered by this upgraded version of the streaming service include music channels and news, as well as the existing movies and series offered by Showmax.
It is important to note that ShowMax Pro is initially available in Kenya and Nigeria, but it will roll out to Uganda within the next six-to-eight weeks. There is no specific date for the Uganda launch of the new streaming service, and the company noted that sports content and pricing may vary by country.
The company has provided pricing for the Kenyan and Nigerian version of its Showmax Pro service, however, allowing us to compare the price of this standalone service with DStv’s satellite packages in these regions.
While the addition of news and music channels is a great addition for the streaming service users, the real benefit of Showmax Pro is the ability to stream live sport.
Does this mean that many DStv Premium customers, will have to cancel their satellite package with the addition of live sport to Showmax and switch completely to Showmax Pro?
It should be noted that even if Showmax Pro is much cheaper than the high-end satellite package, the catalog of sport on Showmax Pro is not as extensive as that of DStv Premium this expected as multichoice wouldn’t prefer to cannibalize its own products.
Let’s have a showdown and compare the live sports content offered by Showmax Pro with those offered through the SuperSport channels on DStv Premium.
ShowMax Pro vs DStv Premium Live Sports Comparison
As the price and content offering announced for Showmax Pro referenced the Kenyan and Nigerian markets, we compared this information with the Ugandan version of DStv Premium.
The selection of live sport available on DStv Premium was sourced by referencing the SuperSport channels available on DStv Premium with the content on SuperSport’s website and the DStv guide for DStv Uganda.
Both platforms also offer a large selection of sport-related content apart from live games. Additionally, the selection of live sport across both platforms has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the global suspension of many sporting activities.
The live comparison is shown below.
| DStv Premium | ShowMax Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Soccer | Premier League, Serie A, PSL, La Liga, EFL Championship, Liga Inglesa, Taça FA | Premier League, Serie A, PSL, and La Liga. |
| Rugby | None | None |
| Motorsport | Formula 1, Formula 2, IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula Um | None |
| Tennis | None | None |
| Golf | PGA | None |
| Cricket | English Test Series | None |
| Other | IAAF Athletics, pro boxing, major international marathons, WWE, Virtual Tour de France, UFC, WorldRX Esports. | IAAF Athletics, pro boxing, major international marathons.* |
Pricing
DStv Premium is currently priced at UGX 219000 in Uganda. The Showmax Pro content offering and pricing for Uganda has not been announced yet, however, and we have therefore compared the Kenyan pricing for both platforms.
This pricing may change when Showmax Pro is launched locally in Uganda, but this comparison serves to give an estimate of the content and price differences between the Pro and DStv Premium.
Below is the pricing of Showmax Pro, Showmax Pro Mobile in Kenya, and DStv Premium in Uganda, with figures listed in UGX, Kenyan Shillings, and South African Rand.
| Showmax Pro Mobile | UGX 36,000 (KES 1,050 and R168.23) |
| Showmax Pro | UGX 74,000 (KES 2,100 and R336.46) |
| DStv Premium | UGX 219,000 (KES 7,370 and R1,181.26) |
We still don’t know whether Showmax Pro will be offered as a free value-add service for DStv Premium subscribers as its done in some other countries as Showmax currently is.
