Subscription video on demand (SVoD) services haven’t fully addressed the needs of the majority of consumers in Africa and Showmax is now set to change this with the launch of a new Showmax Mobile app and new plans designed specifically for Africa featuring African content and live sport as well as TV series, movies and kids’ shows.
The most popular SVoD service is Netflix and Showmax knows they haven’t adequately addressed the needs of the majority of consumers in Africa. The end result is these services have been out of reach for many, and take-up has been well behind that seen in other economies. But the African SVoD service Showmax is set to change this with the launch of Showmax Mobile.
READ MORE: DETAILED GUIDE TO STREAMING IN UGANDA- 2019
Showmax mobile plan costs 50% of the standard package but still features 100% of the same video content. This means users will be streaming at 480p thus no HD content streaming. As we’ve seen previously in our ultimate streaming guide, what sets it apart is a unique combination of hit African content, first and exclusive international series, the best kids’ shows, and live sport, including weekly matches from the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, and Spain’s La Liga.
But don’t get excited, yet Launch of new Showmax Mobile product will initially roll-out in South Africa then Kenya and Nigeria as the company tries to score more mobile data deal in other Africa countries.
The new Showmax mobile experience
With respect to the totally revised apps, the company has currently rolled them out to about 5% of their user base and will continue in batches. From the screenshots below you can see the Showmax mobile app has totally been revamped. If you’ve got the new app when you start Showmax, you’re prompted to set up profiles. The profile functionality is similar to what you have in Netflix and is more comprehensive and easier to use.
The company has focused on a new approach to managing the experience for kids. Parental controls can be set universally or can be set per profile — so users have total control to make sure nobody sees something they shouldn’t. There’s a dedicated Kids section and improved My Lists functionality. The overall look and feel has changed too – most noticeably more content tiles are visible to make it faster to find content. The new Showmax mobile plan is specifically aimed at consumers who only use smartphones and tablets to watch video content.
Video resolution peaks at standard definition to help reduce data consumption, and as a product for the individual, one concurrent stream is included in the plan. The same 14-day free trial and ability to cancel anytime applies. A full comparison of the mobile and standard plans is included in a table below. Showmax mobile plan is currently available in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
| Showmax Mobile | Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | R49 / N1450 / KSh 375 | R99 / N2900 / KSh 750 |
| Watch on smartphone or tablet | Yes | Yes |
| Watch on smart TV and computer | No | Yes |
| HD streaming | No (480p streaming) | Yes |
| TV series, movies, kids’ shows | Yes | Yes |
| Sport | Yes | Yes |
| Concurrent streams | | |
| Cancel anytime | Yes | Yes |
| 14-day free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Chromecast and AirPlay | No | Yes |
| Number of devices | One registered device | 5 devices can be registered, with 2 able to stream at the same time |
From the table, Both the standard and Showmax mobile plans include live sport, sport magazine shows and sport documentaries. The 2019 Rugby World Cup Final was streamed live on Showmax earlier this month.
