MultiChoice Group has announced plans to discontinue its streaming platform Showmax, marking the end of a service that was once positioned as a key pillar of the company’s digital growth strategy.
The decision follows a comprehensive review of MultiChoice’s streaming operations after the company became part of French media group Canal+. According to the company, the platform’s growing financial losses made it unsustainable to continue operating in an increasingly competitive and capital-intensive global streaming market.
MultiChoice indicated that the closure will not lead to job losses. Instead, employees affected by the decision will be supported through internal transition opportunities and other organisational measures.
The move comes after years of heavy investment aimed at transforming Showmax into a major streaming contender across Africa. MultiChoice spent billions of rand developing the platform, including approximately US$103 million to adapt technology licensed from NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming infrastructure through a partnership with Comcast and Sky Group.
However, the financial performance of the service fell far short of expectations. Losses reportedly surged by 88%, rising from about US$157 million to roughly US$297 million in a single financial year, while revenues remained relatively modest at around US$45 million.
These results were well below the ambitious targets previously set by former Showmax leadership, which envisioned the platform reaching 16 million paying subscribers and generating about $1 billion in annual revenue.
Showmax launched in South Africa in 2015 as one of the continent’s earliest subscription video-on-demand platforms, initially designed to complement the company’s satellite television business. Over time, MultiChoice expanded its ambitions for the service as traditional pay-TV subscriptions began to decline.
The company believed Africa’s rapidly expanding smartphone user base and large sports audiences represented a significant opportunity for streaming growth. Yet the realities of the African market—including high data costs, limited broadband infrastructure, and strong global competition—made scaling the platform more difficult than anticipated.
Even after the launch of Showmax 2.0 in 2024—featuring a redesigned platform, new subscription tiers, and expanded local content across more than 40 African markets—subscriber growth was not enough to offset rising operational costs.
Although Showmax will eventually be phased out, the service will continue operating for now while MultiChoice finalises its transition plans. Customers can still access the platform without interruption, and further details regarding timelines and next steps will be communicated later.
Looking ahead, Canal+ plans to strengthen its digital strategy by deploying its own large-scale streaming platform and continuing to invest in premium content, technological innovation, and partnerships aimed at strengthening its position in Africa’s entertainment market.
The closure of Showmax signals a major shift in the region’s streaming landscape, ending a decade-long attempt to build a home-grown competitor to global platforms while highlighting the financial challenges of scaling streaming services across Africa.
