In my desperate search for a working, hitch-free streaming link for the crucial Premier League game between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers a few weeks ago, I found out about a game-changing video streaming service tailored for Africans. And I’ve been wondering how it has taken me so long to realise.
Usually, I would sit to watch the game on DStv at home where there is peace, away from the noise and chaos at public viewing centres. But on this particular day, I was stuck in a traffic gridlock on my way home from an appointment.
Although I rarely miss watching Arsenal play, I am sometimes content with getting live score updates offered by many sports-related websites, but this match, in the run-in towards the season’s end, held much importance as my favourite team pushes for a first Champions League appearance in five years.
It wasn’t until this futile search and pleading with random tweeps on Twitter for an effective streaming link that I remembered I could watch the game on my DStv App, but I somehow happened to see the game was also available for streaming on Showmax.
For context, I am quite familiar with Showmax from its ads on DStv but until this point hadn’t given it much consideration for use. I already had an active streaming subscription with a different provider, so logically there was no need for another streaming service that offers the same content. Or so I thought. So, out of curiosity, I decided to give the service a try for the game, seeing that there is also a 14-day free trial for all new subscribers. Needless to say, it was the most quality, hitch-free football streaming I had ever enjoyed.
To elaborate on what Showmax is about, this video streaming service offers top quality and original African content, international series and movies, documentaries and, as I would learn on that night of desperation, sports and kids’ shows.
A deeper dive into Showmax’s content offering in comparison to other popular streaming platforms shows that the streaming service developed by MultiChoice in 2015 offers better value for money for subscribers. Unlike many other alternatives, Showmax’s business model is not only focused on video-on-demand content but a broadcast of live sporting events.
Also, Showmax satisfies customer thirst for value with better pocket-friendly packages, compared to the pricing packages of these alternative streaming platforms.
Subscription for Showmax’s standard plan costs just N2,900 (N1,200 for mobile) and comes with thousands of movies and series to stream or download. Showmax Pro, which offers subscribers options to stream or download series, movies, kids’ shows, live sport from Supersport, news and more, costs only N6,300 (N3,200 for mobile). As a bonus, Showmax offers DStv subscribers added advantages. For instance, DStv Premium customers get Showmax bundled with the cost of their Premium subscription, giving them access to the array of rich content on Showmax at zero extra cost.
Getting pricing that is commensurate with the value is a critical factor in Africa where the collective spending power of people within the middle to upper class continues to shrink. In Nigeria, for example, a widespread economic downturn means more people within these classes are cutting down on their domestic expenses and only sticking with bills that are worth their value. Showmax is providing subscribers with more than their money’s worth in this regard.
For instance, there have been recent complaints about the quality of African content available to subscribers on other streaming platforms, but Showmax fills the gap with an unmatched understanding of the terrain. Classic African films exclusive to the platform include ‘Agogo Ewo’, a sequel to Tunde Kelani’s classic ‘Saworoide’; Ousmane Sembene’s ‘Moolaadé’, as well as more recently acclaimed movies like ‘The Ghost and House of Truth’; and ‘This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection’.
And beyond dishing critically acclaimed African films and shows for subscribers’ consumption delight, the streaming service also has a lineup of the best global content such as the latest Hollywood films and all fan-favourite HBO shows including ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Insecure’, and ‘Euphoria’.
Comedy series, romcoms, and educative documentaries add to the plethora of content for a great binge experience. While originals like ‘The Wife’, ‘Sex in Afrikaans’, ‘Movement Japa’, ‘Ghana Jollof’, ‘The Rishantes’, and ‘The Real Housewives of Lagos’ which is set to premiere on April 8 also further cement Showmax’s place as the king of African content.
The public euphoria around the latter show has understandably been at a fever-pitch, with African power women Carolyna Hutchings, Laura Ikeji, Chioma Ikokwu, Toyin Lawani-Adebayo, Iyabo Ojo and Mariam Timmer set to light up African homes with their class and sass.
Availability of options to stream live football games in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, UEFA Europa and UEFA Conference leagues, as well the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Showmax, is icing on the well-decorated cake.
Taking into account these special offerings, Showmax without a shred of doubt offers a total package for African content purists and football lovers like me. Unique, relevant and engaging content like these is part of the reasons the streaming service stands heads and shoulders above others. It is no surprise that its utilisation of a localisation strategy is boosting retention and win-back rates among new subscribers.
And considering that MultiChoice has been a consistent and reliable purveyor of quality content by world-class African storytellers for nearly three decades, it is not wishful thinking that their streaming service will continue to deliver on its promises for years to come.
