As reported earlier in the month, Showmax will be shutting down its operations after 11 years. The news doesn't come as a surprise and it was long speculated after MultiChoice shortened the window for shows exclusively for Showmax through DStv.
Now the French giant plans to use to the existing footprint of DStv Stream to expand its streaming endeavours in MultiChoice territories. This service has already been active in 25 African countries and will likely go live by the end of 2026.
“As you know, this was a severely loss-making activity on which we saw no recovery, no matter what was done,” the CEO said.
Saada explained that Canal+ quickly came to an agreement with Comcast to shut down Showmax as soon as possible, but said he couldn’t share details on the negotiations.
During their financial year presentation, Canal+ confirmed that Comcast was on board with the decision to end it's joint venture for Showmax. Of course, they didn't want to divulge on the details except promising enhancements to DStv Stream.
Saada explained that Canal+ quickly came to an agreement with Comcast to shut down Showmax as soon as possible, but said he couldn’t share details on the negotiations.
They also plan to migrate existing Showmax customers to DStv Stream and have shows like Die Kantoor and Youngins accessible to viewers.
What is currently unknown is when this service will be released but it's likely slated for 2026 considering that Showmax will be discontinued in the "near future" according to their release.
Of course another challenge would be the pricing because consumers were billed R45 to R99 monthly for Showmax while Premium subscribers got it at no additional charge. Under DStv Stream, the price range for affected content is over R400 per month.
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