Canal+ looking into buying out Comcast's stake in MultiChoice's struggling Showmax

Thinus Ferreira

Canal+ is reportedly looking at possibly buying out Comcast's stake in MultiChoice's relaunched Showmax video streaming service.

Bloomberg reports that Canal+ is working with advisors to look into buying out Comcast's 30% stake in the relaunched Showmax so that Canal+ has complete control of the loss-making video streaming service.

Canal+ and Comcast declined to comment.

MultiChoice and Comcast's NBCUniversal relaunched Showmax in 2023 on Comcast's Peacock streaming platform, but the streamer has fallen very far short of the subscriber number growth that MultiChoice promised investors.

In Africa Showmax competes with the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, VIU and a few others.

Sky to cut 600 jobs as UK broadcaster changes in streaming era

by Daniel Thomas, Ashley Armstrong, Financial Times

Sky is set to cut hundreds of jobs in the United Kingdom as the Comcast-owned broadcaster focuses on improving existing services after a period of product launches to enhance its competitiveness against United States streaming giants. 

About 900 jobs will be affected by the reorganisation, according to people familiar with Sky’s plans, with about 600 roles expected to be cut from the group’s UK operations, based in west London.

The remainder are expected to be redeployed within Sky, they said, although the exact number will depend on the results of a consultation process beginning this week. 

Staff at risk of losing their jobs were being told on Tuesday, with many cuts anticipated to land in the broadcaster’s tech-focused teams.

Sky employs about 23 000 people in the United Kingdom after carrying out a series of sweeping job cuts over the past few years as part of its shift from TV service delivery via satellite dish to access via broadband. 

The broadcaster has cut about 3 000 roles since 2023, with many positions disappearing in traditional parts of the business, such as the engineers who previously installed satellite dishes. 

Under Comcast’s ownership, Sky has expanded its range of products and services, including the rollout of Sky Glass, a smart TV, and Sky Stream, a new set-top box for streaming. Together, these account for more than 90% of new TV subscriptions.

One person close to the group said the product development phase was complete and Sky’s focus was now "more about improving what we already have".

Sky said: "As we look ahead, we are shifting our approach to bring customers the next generation of experience by investing in digital-first service, unbeatable content, and even better performance from our products".

The broadcaster is expected to increase investment in its own content as it battles for viewers against large US streamers, including at its new Sky Studios complex in Elstree. 

Sky will lose the right to exclusively broadcast programmes made by HBO, such as The White Lotus and Game of Thrones, at the end of this year, although it has struck a long-term deal to show the network’s content by offering Warner Bros Discovery’s HBO Max streaming service.

Comcast to announce it's getting rid of its NBCUniversal pay-TV channels carried by internationals like MultiChoice's DStv

by Thinus Ferreira

The Wall Street Journal reports that Comcast on Wednesday will announce it is dumping its set of NBCUniversal pay-TV channels like E!, MSNBC, CNBC, Universal TV, Studio Universal, DreamWorks and others with many carried by international pay-TV providers like MultiChoice's DStv across Africa.

According to the newspaper, Comcast is set to announce several leadership changes as it spin-off these legacy pay-TV channels which used to be the golden goose for companies but are now being discarded in favour of streaming.

Comcast's coming announcement is another visible signal - and admission - of traditional linear television's decline in the streaming age.

Comcast will retain its NBC broadcast network but dump its set of NBCUniversal pay-TV channels, which are still profitable for now but are no longer seen as having any future growth value or being an asset to Comcast's balance sheet. 

Once highly sought-after during the rise of pay-TV, these channels are now all in decline as the number of pay-TV subscribers continues to fall.

Mark Lazarus, NBCUniversal Media Group CEO will apparently be the CEO of the new company.

Comcast bought 51% of NBCUniversal in 2011 and two years later the whole of it in 2013 in a buyout.

Comcast jettisoning its legacy linear pay-TV channels has big implications for MultiChoice which not only carries several of these linear pay-TV channels, but is also buying and sharing its content as part of a joint venture in its Showmax 2.0 video streaming service.

It's not yet clear how NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer, distributing channel like E!, Universal TV, Studio Universal and Telemundo, will realign. 

Possible branding and name changes - or channel closures - for channels like Universal TV and Studio Universal - might also be in the future since they will no longer be a part of NBCUniversal, in the same way "Fox" was eventually removed from everything, from studios to channel names, after Disney bought over Fox.

The content offering across NBCUniversal's pay-TV channels has weakened considerably over the past few years as NBCUniversal has cut back on budgets for keeping programming line-ups of these traditional pay-TV channels strong - redirecting money and budgets to making content for streaming and for instance its Peacock streamer.

The effect of weaker pay-TV channels has an impact on traditional pay-TV services like MultiChoice, with DStv subscribers noticing the decline of the value on these channels with less original content, less good content, more repeats and more zombified TV channels that have less to watch that what they had to offer years before.

On 31 October during Comcast's third quarter investors' call, Mike Cavanaugh, Comcast president, said "There are a lot of questions to which we don't have answers, so we want to do the work".

"I think the idea of playing some offense when you combine the balance sheet strength that we have, the assets we have, and the management team we have, there may be some smart things to do, and we want to study that."

"We are now exploring whether creating a new well-capitalised company, owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks, would position them to take advantage of opportunities in the changing media landscape and create value for our shareholders."

"We are not ready to talk about any specifics yet, but we’ll be back to you as and when we reach firm conclusions."

UPDATE Wednesday 20 November 2024 3pm: It's official.

Comcast announced that it is getting rid of its NBCUniversal pay-TV channel portfolio getting bundled into a new spin-off company, for now called SpinCo.

"As a standalone company with these outstanding assets, we will be better positioned to serve our audiences and drive shareholder returns in this incredibly dynamic media environment across news, sports and entertainment," Comcast says in a statement.

"When you look at our assets, talented management team and balance sheet strength, we are able to set these businesses up for future growth," says Brian Roberts, Comcast chairman in the statement.

"With significant financial resources from day one, SpinCo will be ideally positioned for success and highly attractive to investors, content creators, distributors and potential partners."

MultiChoice and NBCUniversal pump further $164 million in funding into joint Showmax streamer venture

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and NBCUniversal have pumped another $164 million (R2.8billion) in funding into its relaunched Showmax streamer joint venture.

NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, acquired a 30% stake in the so-called "Showmax 2.0", a relaunched streaming effort to take on Netflix in Africa through the holding company Showmax Africa Holdings Limited (SMAH).

MultiChoice and NBCUniversal had already invested $120 million in Showmax by 31 March 2024, and has now funnelled another $164 million into the streamer since April.

MultiChoice and NBCUniversal want to try and catch up with Netflix's frontrunner status in Africa and are pumping millions of dollars into Showmax during its investment phase, while MultiChoice is commissioning local Showmax Originals in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, while Comcast is providing licensed content from NBCU, Universal Pictures, Peacock and Sky.

MultiChoice in an announcement on Thursday, said "Since 1 April, MultiChoice and NBCUniversal provided, $164 million in equity funding to SMAH, each in proportion of their respective shareholdings".

MultiChoice's relaunched Showmax does first price increase from August, pricing of bundled packages remains unchanged.

by Thinus Ferreira

After six months the relaunched Showmax is doing its first price increase since the unveiling of the new version of MultiChoice's video streaming service - although the prices of its two bundled packages will remain unchanged.

From August, Showmax Entertainment will increase 11.2% from R89 to R99, while Showmax Entertainment Mobile is going from R39 to R45 - an increase of 15.4%. Both these increases are above the current inflation rate.

The pricing of the Showmax Premier League package will remain unchanged at R69 a month. 

The pricing of the bundled Showmax Entertainment (all devices) + Premier League (mobile) package remains unchanged at R140 and the pricing of the Showmax Entertainment (mobile) + Premier League (mobile) package also remains unchanged at R99. 

Showmax says its Showmax Entertainment Mobile price of R45 is "at the low end of mobile streaming prices globally". It's the first price hike for Showmax since MultiChoice retooled the streamer in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal.

Marc Jury, Showmax CEO, says "Pricing is something that all businesses have to review regularly, and we launched with attractive pricing on the new Showmax platform".

"We are thrilled that we've been able to keep Showmax Premier League and bundled Showmax plans unchanged, bringing all 380 Premier League matches to millions of football fans in Africa and continuing to focus on making streaming affordable and effortless."

He says "No other streamer has this range of the best international and local content at an incredible price."

Since its relaunch in February, MultiChoice added 40 Showmax Originals to the streamer, including localised shows produced in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.   

Showmax Entertainment's R99 price from August is its original launch price in 2015.

MultiChoice that is coming off a disastrous financial year for the year ending end of March 2024, is under immense pressure to grow its Showmax subscriber numbers and to also move the streamer towards a position of profitability. MultiChoice told investors last year that it aims to achieve profitability for Showmax in 2027.

Last month when it released its financial results, MultiChoice noted that Showmax's paying subscriber base grew 16% since the relaunch in February to the end of March but continues to decline to provide any subscriber numbers.

 

		Showmax Entertainment  All devices	Showmax Entertainment Mobile	Showmax Premier League    Mobile	Showmax Entertainment Mobile + Premier League Mobile bundle	Showmax Entertainment All devices + Premier League Mobile bundle
All Premier League    live matches + extra Premier League content		-	-	✓	✓	✓
Series, movies, kids’ shows, documentaries incl. Showmax Originals, MultiChoice Originals, Universal Pictures, NBC, Peacock, Sky, DreamWorks Animation, HBO, Paramount, Lionsgate, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery, BBC, ITV, Telemundo, Banijay, eOne, Fremantle and more.		✓	✓	-	✓	✓
Number of concurrent streams		2	1	1	1 stream Entertainment  1 stream Premier League	2 streams Entertainment  1 stream Premier League
Mobile apps		✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Smart TV, laptop, Android TV, Apple TV apps		✓	-	-	-	✓  (only for Entertainment content, no access to Sport section)
Maximum video resolution		HD (1080p)	HD (1080p)	HD (1080p)	HD (1080p)	HD (1080p)
Downloads available for offline viewing		✓	✓	✓ (only for VOD content, not live streaming)	✓ (only for VOD content, not live streaming)	✓ (only for VOD content, not live streaming)
Data saving settings		✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

South Africa streamers roll-out: What the new Showmax means for Max, Paramount+ and Peacock.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice's revamped Showmax streamer will start its roll-out today, 23 January, in app stores as a new app that will carry the content from Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) - but that doesn't mean that the Paramount+ video streaming services won't launch in South Africa as a stand-alone, although it's now extremely unlikely that NBCUniversal's Peacock and WBD's Max will.

MultiChoice has retooled its Showmax streamer in partnership with Sky in the United Kingdom and Comcast's NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service which will make its official debut in app stores on 23 January.

Using NBCUniversal's Peacock subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) architecture to build a new Showmax after nine years to more effectively take on primarily global streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ on the African continent, the likelihood is now drastically dimming that NBCUniversal will launch Peacock as a stand-alone streamer in South Africa or across sub-Saharan Africa.

The same goes for Max (formerly HBO Max) from Warner Bros. Discovery.

Here is why:

1. Peacock

With Comcast's NBCUniversal and Sky content already baked into the new Showmax, it's becoming ever-unlikely that Peacock as a late-market entrant will unfurl its streaming plumage in South Africa since its content is now funnelled through Showmax.

In a sense, the new Showmax literally is Peacock, just with a different name and colours.

2. Max

 The likelihood that Max will launch as its own video streamer in South Africa is now also extremely dim. WBD hasn't made Max available in the United Kingdom - a very comparable market to South Africa - precisely because of Sky. 

And remember that MultiChoice operates a lot like Sky. Because of existing agreements with Sky's traditional pay-TV business, WBD is giving its content like Discovery channels shows and HBO content to Sky for its pay-TV channels like Sky Atlantic and for on-demand viewing and streaming.

Since WBD has similar deals with MultiChoice and M-Net in South Africa, that Discovery and HBO content from America will continue to be seen on linear TV like M-Net (DStv 101), on-demand on DStv Catch Up, and on streaming through the new Showmax.

There is a decreasing need now for WBD to launch Max - and take onboard the cost involved - in South Africa when it can reside as an "HBO" tile within the new Showmax carousel.  

Paramount+

3. But what about Paramount's Paramount+ which is also a late-market entrant?

Paramount is launching Paramount+ around the world as a so-called "hard bundle" as a streaming service it is making available in partnership with traditional pay-TV operators as it adds Paramount+ to conventional pay-TV packages. Indeed Paramount+ is available in the United Kingdom already, although Paramount also license content and pay-TV channels to Sky.

In South Africa - and indeed across sub-Saharan Africa - Paramount and Paramount Africa have been running traditional pay-TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv for years. 

Paramount has also made sought-after Paramount+ content like Halo available on Showmax, and indeed will continue to, like the second season of Halo, launching on 8 February, which will be available on the new Showmax.

At MultiChoice's media briefing for the new Showmax at its MultiChoice City headquarters in Randburg last Monday, Katherine Liu, executive vice president and COO of Paramount international markets, said "MultiChoice and Paramount have had a long and successful partnership for over 15 years and we have a long track record of working together to bring African audiences the best of our award-winning and globally beloved content".

"As a result, Paramount content is already available on Showmax but we are super excited to partner with you in this new launch and to participate in the streaming-for-Africa revolution."

"Africa is one of the most exciting and diverse places on Earth. You have some of the youngest and most engaging entertainment audiences anywhere and in Showmax we are confident that we have a partner that understands Africa and that can speak to the heart of local audiences in East, West, Southern and Central Africa."

"We can't wait to bring the best of Hollywood content and content from all around the world to Showmax customers, wherever you happen to be - whether it's at home or on the go."

Natalie Mdladla, Paramount Africa spokesperson, in a media query was asked for an update on Paramount+ launching in South Africa, and if Paramount+ would still launch as a stand-alone streamer if Showmax already carries Paramount content, but she didn't respond.

MultiChoice: Not the end of adding stand-alone streamers 

Besides its own Showmax and nowits new Showmax, MultiChoice already carries streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ on its decoders which will also be included on products like DStv Glass (a bespoke TV set with a decoder built-in) which is likely to launch towards the end of the year.

During the new Showmax media briefing, I asked MultiChoice whether the launch of the new Showmax - with WBD and its HBO content, and Paramount with its Paramount+ content - means that MultiChoice won't be adding further streamers as apps like Max and Paramount+ separately, and will now just funnel all their content through Showmax.

"No, that's not necessarily the case," Marc Jury, MultiChoice SA CEO and interim Showmax CEO said.

"This goes to the beauty of what we've got between DStv and Showmax and having them all under one family."

"There's a big plan internally of how we hunt as a pack where DStv is more on the aggregation side and I think you'll see a lot of that play out over the course of the next 12 months - I don't want to give away too much in terms of the announcements that will come there."

"So to answer your question, no."

MultiChoice's revamped Showmax streamer to relaunch 12 February with price drop.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax is officially relaunching on 12 February as it aggressively takes on global challenger Netflix on the African continent, dropping the price of its main entertainment package to R89.

The Showmax Entertainment package (all devices) will cost R89 per month. 

The launch price of R89 is R10 cheaper than the R99 pricing of the basic Showmax package the streamer launched with and stuck with since it launched nine years ago in August 2015.

The new Showmax Premier League mobile plan (mobile-only) will cost R69 at launch. 

Showmax Entertainment Mobile will cost R39 a month, while the bundled offer of Entertainment Mobile and Premier League mobile will cost R99. An Entertainment package (all devices) and Premier League mobile plan will cost R140. 

The new Showmax won't be offering live linear channels like the TV news channels which were available on Showmax Pro. 

MultiChoice and Showmax are not offering any package that allows English Premier League (EPL) content to be watched on a flatscreen TV, or launching with any ad-supported package tiers, at launch.

The revamped streamer is unveiled two years after MultiChoice and Sky started discussions about a streaming partnership. The new Showmax runs on the Peacock streaming platform of Comcast's NBCUniversal. 

With the "data saving" option enabled, the relaunched Showmax, running at a maximum resolution of 144p will use up to 40MB per hour. 

At best resolution screen quality of 1080p - the relaunched Showmax won't offer 4K resolution - the streamer will gobble up to 1.2GB of data per hour. MultiChoice and Showmax will announce a data partnership soon. The new Showmax offers Dolby 5.1 surround sound.

The new Showmax app will become available in app stores from 23 January 2024 onward for new Showmax subscribers. Existing Showmax subscribers will be ported over as part of an ongoing process that will start next week and which will be completed in February.

MultiChoice says that existing Showmax customers will start to get notification messages on how to access the new Showmax app this week and that by 12 February the new Showmax will be live in all 44 markets across Africa. 

As part of the relaunch boost the streamer will unveil 21 Showmax Original productions during February. MultiChoice and Showmax have placed mobile access to the EPL across Africa at the heart of the revamped streamer, offering 380 football games live on the Showmax Premier League plan.

"There are currently just over 450 million smartphones in the hands of individuals across Africa and more than 250 million avid football lovers on the continent," says Marc Jury, interim Showmax CEO.

"Showmax Premier League is a game-changing product that gives individuals a ticket to the football they love, wherever they are, on the device they always have with them, at a price that's impossible not to love."

Patrick Miceli, NBCUniversal's executive vice president and chief technology officer for direct-to-consumer and international, says "Peacock's best-in-class technology platform will deliver a world-class streaming experience to Showmax audiences".

"The Peacock platform was designed from day one to support both live and on-demand content, including the biggest live sporting events, so we look forward to extending that capability and reliability to the new Showmax."

Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO, says Showmax's content offering is boosted "by its focus on the African market and strengthened by the vast creative and commercial presence already established by MultiChoice. Nobody understands Africa like we do. Showmax is putting the continent first with a powerful streaming service that will revolutionise streaming in Africa in 2024".

MultiChoice's Showmax 2.0 content: Strippers, students and serial killers.

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." 

Barry Dubovsky out at Showmax as MultiChoice's streamer loses COO just after CEO exit and before its Comcast's NBCUniversal relaunch: 'The optics look awful'.

by Thinus Ferreira

Barry Dubovsky is out as Showmax chief operating officer (COO) shortly after the abrupt exit of Yolisa Phahle as Showmax CEO a month ago, with Dubovsky's gap now being plugged by Joe Heshu who is now moved to Showmax after he was recently moved to the position of Southern Africa regional director at MultiChoice.

Insiders tell TVwithThinus "the optics look awful" for a video streaming service which is supposed to be relaunched within months with the help of Comcast's NBCUniversal and Britain's Sky, to try and more effectively compete with Netflix on the African continent.

Neither MultiChoice nor Showmax shared the latest management upheaval and changes with the media - similar to the CEO position exit of Yolisa Phahle. Comment will be added here if received.

The Australian Barry Dubovsky was at MultiChoice for 5 years after joining in 2018 - first as group exec of digital for MultiChoice Africa and later moved to the Showmax COO role.

In an internal email, similar to the one issued belatedly to MultiChoice staffers when they were informed that Yolisa Phahle is no longer Showmax CEO, MultiChoice said that Barry Dubovsky played "an integral role in closing the Peacock Platform agreement as part of the Comcast deal".

Similar to Yolisa Phahle who will be providing an "advisory" role to MultiChoice South Africa CEO and acting Showmax CEO Marc Jury until the end of February 2024, Barry Dubovsky will also play an "advisory role" for Showmax until the end of February 2024.

Joe Heshu is now the plug-and-play Showmax COO. 

In November 2021 Joe Heshu was quietly moved from his corporate affairs role in Johannesburg to Lusaka in Zambia to replace Kobus Bezuidenhout as Southern Africa regional director at MultiChoice and who only lasted a few month before also exiting.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice's Showmax CEO Yolisa Phahle resigns - plus other executive changes.

MultiChoice shutters Showmax Pro.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice is shuttering its upsell Showmax Pro offering bundled with sports content after three years, in order to make way for its new tiered Showmax service with Comcast's NBCUniversal that it plans to launch within months, with a new subscription fee structure.

Laura Cooke, Showmax spokesperson, confirmed to TVwithThinus that Showmax Pro, launched just over three years ago in July 2020, is no longer available and that Showmax Pro subscribers are moved to other services.

MultiChoice, in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal and Sky in the United Kingdom, will relaunch a retooled Showmax in its attempt to better compete against the existing and growing collection of video streaming services available in South Africa and across the African continent - most notably Netflix which has the biggest market share of subscribers across the continent.

Since 1 October Showmax Pro at a cost of R349 per month is no longer accepting new subscriptions since the sports offering of "Showmax 2.0" at its relaunch will carry the English Premier League (EPL) and other sports content folded into the streamer's enhanced offering.

Existing Showmax Pro subscribers in South Africa are offered DStv Compact Plus Stream at the same price as Showmax Pro, while subscribers elsewhere on the African continent are offered a DStv Stream subscription at the same price as Showmax Pro. 

The alternative make-good offers are not available to Showmax Pro mobile subscribers.

MultiChoice's Showmax CEO Yolisa Phahle resigns - plus other executive changes.

by Thinus Ferreira

Yolisa Phahle has resigned as Showmax CEO with immediate effect, according to sources, who told TVwithThinus that more top-ranking staff are planning to leave - with Yolisa Phahle's exit as the latest high-profile MultiChoice executive to walk away from the African pay-TV company triggering heightened anxiety inside the corridors just months before the planned relaunch of Showmax with Comcast's NBCUniversal.

According to insiders MultiChoice SA CEO Marc Jury will now shepherd Showmax as well with Yolisa Phahle providing "advisory support" to Marc Jury for the next six months.

MultiChoice and Showmax on Friday didn't respond to multiple media queries first made since late on Thursday.

TVwithThinus reliably learnt that with Yolisa Phahle completely existing the business, Collen Dlamini, MultiChoice group executive for corporate affairs is also stepping down from the position replaced by Dr Keabetswe Modomoeng.

In another sped-up change, Rendani Ramovha who would have become the new SuperSport CEO from April 2024, has seen this timeframe moved up to becoming the CEO with immediate effect.

It's still unclear where Yolisa Phahle is moving to. Her exit as the latest very high-ranking executive to leave MultiChoice ranks is rattling staff who've had to deal with and already experienced the departure of a litany of top MultiChoice and M-Net execs over the past two years.

Several have been scooped up primarily by global streaming services that have entered South Africa like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ which collectively represent an existential threat for the decades-old traditional pay-TV business. 

Yolisa Phahle's resignation follows that of MultiChoice's chief information officer (CIO) Brad Eliot who has also handed in his resignation.

Yolisa Phahle exits MultiChoice after just over 18 years since she joined M-Net in August 2005 from the BBC where she was a host, producer and sound and vision mixer, to head up M-Net's new DStv music channel, Channel O, at the time.

At the Randburg-based pay-TV operator, the talented manager and executive with a keen eye for detail and problem-solving quickly progressed to become the Mzansi Magic channels channel director in July 2009. 

Yolisa Phahle was then appointed M-Net South Africa CEO in March 2013 - making history as the first black female in the role - and two years later as M-Net CEO in October 2015 overseeing the M-Net cluster for the entire continent.

In November 2017 Yolisa Phahle was promoted again and took on the new role of MultiChoice CEO for general entertainment - a promotion that necessitated a move to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. 

In September 2020 Yolisa Phahle's ambit was expanded again, this time to MultiChoice CEO for general entertainment and connected video, a restructuring which brought Showmax under her purview.

During her high-level MultiChoice reign, the well-liked and respected executive - who is a trained classic pianist and violinist - oversaw the production of literally thousands of hours over the past decade and a half of localised TV content in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa for over 20 M-Net packaged TV channels on DStv for various African countries.

As Showmax CEO, Yolisa Phahle's executive attention over the past few months has been squarely focused on the intricate and high-stakes relaunch of "Showmax 2.0" - an upgrade of MultiChoice's video streaming service, which is supposed to happen and to be rolled out within months.

After MultiChoice and Comcast's NBCUniversal - together with its London-based European pay-TV arm Sky - earlier this year announced a new partnership to relaunch and jointly manage and run a reinvigorated and retooled Showmax, trans-Atlantic teams have furiously started work to ready a new Showmax with a new underbuilt, which is supposed to be unveiled before the end of March 2024 or even earlier.

According to MultiChoice and the Nasdaq-listed Comcast, the retooled Showmax in which MultiChoice will carry a 70% stake, will feature a beefed-up selection of international content.

The new-look content juggernaut's biggest task will be to take on primarily its biggest streaming rival on the African continent: Netflix.

The new Showmax will also carry live English Premier League (EPL) football for the first time - which also means substantial competition for linear SuperSport - as well as an increase in the volume of its local content slate for which MultiChoice has increased the local production budget by millions of rand.

Yolisa Phahle attended kykNET's multiday 11th Silwerskermfees film festival in Cape Town last week where she had various meetings and attended the blue carpet première of the Showmax and Canal+ co-production Spinners which is set to start in November. 

At the film festival Showmax publicist Laura Cooke turned down an interview request with Yolisa Phahle to talk about the progress with Showmax 2.0 and where plans and the work currently are around the upcoming relaunch.

On Thursday evening an insider said that Yolisa Phahle "has resigned with immediate effect", noting that "it's not good at all" and that other execs "have put in notice" as well.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice boss Calvo Mawela full internal memo to staffers on 'void left by season executive' as Showmax CEO Yolisa Phahle steps down and other top exec shuffles.