by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice's retooled Showmax will roll out a burst of new content from February to try and entice sampling and potential subscribers to sign up with a new content line-up for its video streaming service that includes male strippers, students and serial killers.
A lot hinges on the debut of MultiChoice's redressed Showmax, nicknamed "Showmax 2.0", that the Randburg-based pay-TV operator is doing in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal and its Peacock streamer as well as the United Kingdom's Sky.
With MultiChoice's traditional satellite pay-TV fortunes sagging it's pinning its hopes - like Hollywood's studios and content conglomerates which are fast transitioning - on the future of video streaming and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services.
When the wrapping comes off Showmax 2.0 in February the streamer will have a beefed-up repository of international content funnelled from the likes of Warner Bros. Discovery and its HBO, DreamWorks Animation, Paramount, Sony, NBCUniversal, Sky and more.
Meanwhile MultiChoice and M-Net allocated millions of rand the past months to commission new local content from South Africa and other African countries to debut specifically on the retooled Showmax, with plans to release 21 Showmax Originals from across Africa on the streamer in February.
In total the reworked Showmax plans to have 1 300 new hours of Showmax Originals in total releasing and added to the streamer in 2024 as part of its revamped content slate.
Showmax has at least two crime drama adaptations with Red Ink based on Angela Makholwa's serial killer story and Catch Me A Killer - an international co-production based on the memoir of Micki Pistorius, South Africa's
first serial killer profiler.
Reality TV wise Showmax is doing Widows
Unveiled which will follow the lives of widows of prominent businessmen. Sadau Sisters is a series starring the Nigerian
actress Rahama Sadau.
Chocolate Kings, is a reality show about male strippers while What Will People Say? is a dating show from Ghana.
There will also be new seasons of South Africa's The Mommy Club and The
Real Housewives of Durban.
Youngins from Tshedza Pictures is a high school drama series, while Wyfie is an Afrikaans university drama series. Cheta'm is a new Nigerian drama series, Koek is a new Afrikaans drama series, with Ekhaya Backpackers as a new comedy series.
Free Men is a Nigerian documentary series while Showmax will also unspool new seasons of Flawsome from Nigeria and Single Kiasi from Kenya and ENO from Ghana.
Four Valentine's Day films will be released on Showmax this year, including Forever
Yena, Intlawulo and Matilda
en Matthys from South Africa, as well as The Counsellor from
Nigeria.
"2024 is a big year for Showmax," says Marc Jury, MultiChoice SA CEO and Showmax interim CEO.
"We will be kicking it off with a content slate packed with world-class entertainment
from the world's biggest brands plus more African Originals than ever before
and the first ever mobile Premier League plan for Africa."
