The
launch of ShowMax – will officially be announced on Wednesday in Johannesburg,
with the service set to start shortly thereafter.
ShowMax
is Naspers' attempt to get traction and a foothold in the over-the-top (OTT) subscription
video-on-demand (SVOD) market in South Africa before the coming launch of
global on-demand video internet subscription service behemoth Netflix.
While
Naspers has remained silent and PR company Atmosphere Communications handling
the ShowMax contract hasn't issued any information to the press, information is
already leaking impacting the new brand – the word ShowMax apparently an amalgam
of the names Showtime and Cinemax both known as premium TV providers in
America.
According
to the cached information on ShowMax's website at showmax.com and which might
still change, the service will launch with two options: ShowMax Basic which
will be a limited free subscription service which will give users a taste of
the ShowMax library and try to upsell them to tho the second option – ShowMax Premium
at what will likely cost R99 per month for unlimited access to all movies and
series.
The
service will only be available in South Africa at launch with possible
expansion into the rest of Africa later.
ShowMax
will also be offering a 7 day trial period. People who sign up will get 7 days
to try the service and can cancel anytime. ShowMax has categories like Hollywood,
Best of British, kykNET, South African content and Kids.
Showmax' cost
of R99 – a psychological consumer number – is interestingly compared to the
basic monthly subscription fee of R699 for MultiChoice's DStv Premium package.
In America Netflix and Amazon subscribers pay around $10 for the streaming
service, compared to between $80 and $90 per month for a premium satellite or
cable pay-TV service.
‘The face of entertainment is
changing’
ShowMax
is set to show content through adaptive streaming in high definition (HD)
(720p).
ShowMax says subscribers should have a minimum internet speed of 2 megabits
per second (Mbps) but that an uncapped 4Mbps connection or faster is
recommended for the best experience.
Viewing is unlimited, but ShowMax is warning that the use of the service
is subject to fair usage – although it’s not currently explaining what "fair
usage" means.
"The
digital experience gives you the freedom to choose when, where and how you
watch. The face of entertainment is changing, and you can be part of it," says
ShowMax.
According
to the indexed site, ShowMax will work on personal computers (through web
browsers), iPhones and iPad running iOS7 and higher, Android phones and tablet
running Andriod 4.1.0 or higher; Samsung Smart TVs from 2012 to 2015, Samsung
Tizen Smart TVs from 2015, LG NetCast Smart TVs from 2012 – 2014 and LG WebOS
Smart TVs from 2014 and 2015.
ShowMax
subscribers will likely be allowed to watch on two devices simultaneously and
will be allowed to register up to 5 devices.
Shows from BBC, SABC, M-Net,
international studios
Naspers
has culled a massive number of locally produced shows from pay-TV broadcaster
M-Net's archives which will be offered to subscribers ranging from M-Net (DStv
101), Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) to kykNET (DStv 144) shows on offer.
Besides
programming from BBC Worldwide which has been seen on MultiChoice's BBC
channels on DStv like Frozen Planet,
a large number of programmes from the SABC archives also appear which will also
be available for streaming through the subscription service – some iconic
programmes from the public broadcaster like Skoppensboer,
Gazette, Vyfster, Agter Elke Man, Arende and several more.
Besides
library cult titles like True Blood, ShowMax
also features a large number of international shows currently on M-Net, from Arrow and Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Wife
and The Big Bang Theory to Suits, Under the Dome, Elementary,
Chicago Fire, Teen Wolf and many others.
"See
it as the new M-Net but for the internet age," a source told TV with Thinus earlier this week.
"A
lot of the prime content that will be on ShowMax people can already see on DStv
but it will be a new way for customers to watch. Also the economic model is
different – the service is more about enabling people to really go for
binge-watching and things a SVOD player are better at than traditional pay-TV
operators," said the insider.
ShowMax
will be new competition in the growing local VOD field where the Times Media
Group runs VIDI, MTN has its FrontRow service which just lowered some of its
prices, MultiChoice has DStv BoxOffice and Altron last year launched the
flopped Altech Node decoder which it is now getting rid of.
