Back in 2015 Subscription Video On Demand service (SVOD) ShowMax entered into the South African market. At launch, ShowMax revealed that it had a content catalogue that totaled more than 11,000 hours of video content, which included local African content as well as international content.
Soon after the launch of ShowMax, in January 2016, Video On Demand giant Netflix, revealed that its SVOD service would be available not only in Africa, but also on a global scale. The announcement was made at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) by Netflix chief executive, Reed Hastings.
With SVOD being a hot new trend in the South African Market, ShowMax has now entered into a partnership with South African internet service provider, MWEB.
According to ShowMax, by delivering TV shows and movies via the internet, SVOD services such as ShowMax are changing the way people consume video entertainment. Rather than waiting for a show to air at a set time and having to sit through commercials, it’s now possible to pick from thousands of shows and movies and then stop, start, and pause at will.
According to both parties they have essentially teamed up in order to offer consumers three months’ free ADSL and three months’ complimentary access to ShowMax. This offer is available until 31 March to customers who sign up for a 12-month subscription to one of MWEB’s ADSL service products (excluding 1GB, 2GB, 5GB Capped and Uncapped 1Mbps services).
Speaking on the topic, Carolyn Holgate, GM Sales, Marketing and Product at MWEB said: “If your New Year’s resolutions have anything to do with becoming more tech-savvy, living a more connected life, improving your internet connection or saving money, then this offer comes at the right time. By combining free internet access and giving you access to ShowMax this the perfect way to start the New Year.”
The mechanics of the offer are that customers who sign up will receive three months of free MWEB ADSL services as well as a complimentary voucher for 90 days’ access to ShowMax. They will then be billed for both the ShowMax and ADSL amounts for the remaining months of the 12-month contract.
With a constantly updated catalogue of more than 20,000 episodes of TV shows and movies on offer, ShowMax has, according to the company, the largest subscription video library in Africa. ShowMax is accessible on a wide range of devices including selected smart TVs, laptop and desktop computers, tablets and smartphones.
John Kotsaftis, General Manager of ShowMax South Africa said: “ShowMax has a couple of killer features. First, with one subscription it’s possible to watch two different shows on two different devices simultaneously. This means you can watch Breaking Bad on the TV while the kids watch Shaun the Sheep on their tablet. Second, we’ve added download functionality to our Android app, allowing you to use your home internet connection or a WiFi hotspot to download and store up to 25 TV shows or movies onto compatible tablets and smartphones for viewing later. It’s perfect for flights or long car journeys – keep watching ShowMax even if you’re offline.”
Darryl Linington
Follow @DarrylLinington on Twitter.
