MultiChoice-owned streaming platform Showmax now offers an interface in Kiswahili for Tanzanian subscribers, and it is the first streaming platform to do so.
The company said the update marks a major step towards its mission to become Africa’s leading streaming service.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, Kiswahili is the most widely spoken African language in sub-Saharan Africa.
It also says Kiswahili is one of the 10 most widely-spoken languages worldwide, with more than 230 million speakers.
“The introduction of the Kiswahili interface is part of a broader strategy to enhance the overall user experience on Showmax for Africans,” Showmax said in a statement.
“This follows several other continental firsts, like becoming the first streamer to make mobile downloads possible for offline viewing, the first to launch a mobile-only plan, the first to launch a standalone Premier League mobile offering, and the first to stream a local concert.”
MultiChoice South Africa CEO Byron du Plessis says Showmax’s local content in local languages resonates with its viewers on the continent.
“Nine of the 10 most-streamed titles on Showmax last year were local because our audiences want to see content related to their local cultures,” he said.
“Adding Kiswahili as a navigation option makes Showmax even more accessible and personal to a large market segment in South Africa.”
Showmax relaunched its platform in February 2024 through its partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky. It runs on an entirely new platform powered by Peacock.
MultiChoice says it is Africa’s largest producer of local content.
“From Kiswahili and isiZulu to Hausa, Yoruba, and Afrikaans, MultiChoice produces content in more African languages than any other content provider globally,” it said.
Popular content offered in these languages includes:
isiZulu – Adulting
IsiXhosa – Soft Life
IsiZulu, isiXhosa, Sepedi and Sesotho–Youngins
Afrikaans – Koek
Yoruba – Wura
Kiswahili – Pepeta
Showmax also says it offers a diverse mix of local and international entertainment, with more to come in February 2025, including a record-breaking local reality series, The Mommy Club, Tanzania’s Salaam Dar, and Keyna’s Nairobi Bachelor.
Popular international titles include The White Lotus and Suits: LA.
“By expanding its language offerings and reinforcing its local-first approach, Showmax is cementing its position as a leading Pan-African streaming service,” said MultiChoice.
The relaunched Showmax recently turned a year old, and MultiChoice says it has seen great subscriber growth since. Its financial results for the six months ended 30 September 2024 revealed that its subscribers had grown 50% year-on-year.
“It was a landmark year for Showmax, which grew its paying subscriber base, excluding discontinued services, by 50% year-on-year,” said MultiChoice.
In its results for the period, the broadcaster expects this growth to accelerate as its strategic initiatives bear fruit.
“Showmax streamer was named Best Television/Streaming Network at The National Film and TV Awards South Africa and Entertainment App of the Year at the Stuff App Awards,” it added.
The streaming platform also topped JustWatch’s streaming charts for South Africa in 2024. JustWatch is a streaming guide platform that shows what is available on most platforms in the country based on user-submitted data.
