No Penguin but Harry Potter and Green Lanterns series will now be seen on M-Net in South Africa after Warner Bros. Discovery switches them to HBO Originals.

by Thinus Ferreira

The boy who lived and a green lantern will now be on the channel that won't stop the magic - although The Penguin won't - after Warner Bros. Discovery in the United States decided to switch big-budget series under its Max Originals banner to HBO Originals.

Big-budget HBO Originals shows like House of the Dragon - currently in its second season - are guaranteed to broadcast on MultiChoice's M-Net (DStv 101) linear channel as well as its video streaming service Showmax due to existing output contracts.

Max Originals made for Warner Bros. Discovery's streamer Max - a video streaming service that isn't available in South Africa - are not guaranteed to air on DStv or Showmax.

In a strategic rethink, WBD and HBO executives have now decided to move all of its big and expensive series - whether originally earmarked for HBO or for Max - all to HBO. These shows will now debut first as HBO Originals on the HBO linear TV channel. 

Expensive shows like the Harry Potter TV series envisioned to run for a decade and the IT prequel series Welcome to Derry, originally earmarked as Max Originals, are now changing to HBO Originals.

HBO also commissioned a new 8-episode live-action drama series, Lanterns, chronicling an Earth-investigation by two Green Lanterns, John Stewart and Hal Jordan, which will now be an HBO Original series from the outset. 

Max Originals set for release within the next few months and later this year and which are already marketed and being sold and distributed internationally as Max shows, will however remain Max Originals. One of these is The Penguin, which M-Net told me last week it hasn't acquired the broadcasting rights for.

The Penguin, set for release in September, is an 8-episode limited series with an unrecognisable Colin Farrell starring as the Penguin, reprising his role from The Batman, alongside Cristin Milioti and Rhenzy Feliz. 

The science fiction drama series, Dune: Prophecy is likewise a Max Original and since it's also set to be released later this year, will also remain a Max Original.

Green Lanterns detective series

Meanwhile, HBO has announced that Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King will co-write and executive produce the new 8-episode Lanterns live-action drama series, done in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Comics.

According to HBO "The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland".

James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-CEOs of DC Studios, in a statement, say "We're thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon and Tom at the helm. John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC's most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we're launching next summer with Superman".

Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, says "We are elated to be reuniting with both Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof as they partner with Tom for this fresh take on DC's Green Lantern. As part of James and Peter's vision for the DC Universe, this first new live-action series will mark an exciting new era."

Lanterns which would have been a Max Original is now a HBO Original.

ALSO READ: Harry Potter series to debut in 2026.

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."

South Africa's stream wars: It's on like Donkey Kong for Netflix, Showmax and Amazon Prime Video in Africa battling it out for subs by 2029 with Disney+ in 4th place.

by Thinus Ferreira

The battle for streaming in South Africa and eventually across the rest of the African continent is basically a three-horse race, with Netflix, MultiChoice's Showmax and Amazon Prime Video which will be the big three battling it out for stream TV supremacy.

Disney+ from the Mouse House will be in 4th place as the group of video streaming services battling to add subscribers are set to collectively add another 10 million customers over the next six years.

According to the latest market research and projections from Digital TV Research, the number of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) subscribers in Africa is expected to reach a whopping 18 million by 2029 - up 8 million subscribers six years from now, compared to the end of this year.

Video streaming penetration is however expected to remain low in Africa by 2029 at just 7.7% of TV households who will be subscribing to at least one streaming service by then.

According to Digital TV Research's latest projections, the biggest video streamer in Africa will be Netflix with 7.55 million subscribers by 2029. Netflix is expected to add 3.4 million subscribers from this year. 

Netflix will be followed by Showmax, with MultiChoice which plans to unveil a retooled "Showmax 2.0" at the end of this year done in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal. 

Showmax will reach 4.4 million subscribers by adding another 3 million, while Amazon Prime Video will hit 3.14 million subscribers, with Disney+ in fourth place with 1.54 million subscribers. Apple TV+ trails with 251 000 subscribers by 2029 across Africa.

Paramount Global's Paramount+ is still to launch in South Africa, while Warner Bros. Discovery has also been silent about a launch date for its rebranded Max, previously HBO Max, which is not yet available in South Africa.