by Thinus Ferreira
Canal+'s Showmax will end subscriptions for its doomed video streaming service from 1 April 2026 as Showmax content will temporarily be moved to DStv Stream, and later Canal+'s app, also known as Canal+.
Showmax will stop on 30 April 2026.
Earlier this month, Canal+ announced that it's ending the loss-making Showmax that it said could have destroyed MultiChoice.
"Showmax is starting a new chapter and your favourite shows are getting a shiny new home on DStv Stream. Even better, they'll be joining a bigger world of entertainment, all in one place," MultiChoice said on Wednesday evening in a message to Showmax subscribers.
This is, however, not the real new "one place".
After the move of Showmax content to DStv DStream, the content will be moved again, once Canal+ rolls out its own Canal+ video streaming service in South Africa and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa within a few months.
31 March 2016 will be the very last day for subscribers to renew a Showmax subscription or to redeem any outstanding vouchers. From 1 April 2026, absolutely no new Showmax subscriptions and renewals will be available or work.
Existing Showmax subscribers will be able to continue watching content "as usual, until your subscription ends, or until the end of April 2026 - whichever comes first".
So far, there's been no press release from MultiChoice or Showmax to the media.
Besides the transition of Showmax content to the Canal+ app, Canal+ Africa is also working to extend the existing partnership with Netflix in Francophone Africa and to roll out the bundling of Netflix with DStv in South Africa and the rest of English-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.
In Francophone Africa, Canal+ and Netflix have a partnership since July 2025, whereby Netflix and access to it is bundled into certain premium Canal+ subscriptions at no extra cost, which is what Canal+'s plan is to do for MultiChoice's English-speaking territories as well.
