by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax will live-stream the South African Grammy-winner Tyla's concert from the SunBet Arena next Saturday, 18 January in South Africa and 43 other African countries under the Showmax presents Tyla banner.
Tyla's performance in Pretoria's SunBet Arena - part of the Amapiano star's South African tour with performances over the past couple of months in Cape Town and Pretoria - is a first for Showmax and also the first major video-streaming service in Africa to do a live-stream of a music concert.
Showmax presents Tyla will be live-streamed on Showmax from roughly around 20:00 South African time, although I've established that it will be preceded by a live-streamed red carpet build-up.
As the youngest African Grammy winner, Tyla will sing songs from her chart-topping debut album "Tyla" which has already amassed more than 1.6 billion streams.
"Tygers! Me and Showmax decided to live-stream this concert for everyone across Africa. I hardly get time to be home so this one is gonna be special!" says Tyla about next weekend's live-stream concert. "I can’t wait for y'all to rock with me!"
Yatish Narsi, MultiChoice South Africa and Showmax chief marketing officer says that the streamer is looking forward to do the Tyla concert live-stream utilising its advanced live-streaming technology.
"We're thrilled to spotlight Tyla's iconic homecoming concert. This marks our first live-streamed entertainment event, underscoring our commitment to making world-class experiences accessible across the continent."
Narsi says Showmax wants to break streaming records and spotlight African talent.
"We're not just hoping to smash records with this live stream. We're changing the narrative of what it means to succeed on our continent. Showmax doesn't just aim to be the best in Africa; we aim to take our place among the best in the world."
Showmax's historic Tyla concert comes as the streamer celebrates its first anniversary as Showmax 2.0 since its relaunch in February 2024 in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal and its Peacock streamer.
After the live-streamed concert, Showmax presents Tyla will be available on the Showmax as an on-demand title.
