MultiChoice has confirmed it will discontinue Showmax, drawing a close on one of Africa’s most ambitious streaming experiments, which was recently launched in 44 markets across the continent.
Launched in 2015, and relaunched in 2024 with substantial investment, Showmax ultimately failed to compete with global giants like Netflix, highlighting the economic and infrastructural hurdles of streaming on the continent.
“Financially speaking, business-wise speaking, the thing is not flying,” MultiChoice CEO David Mignot was recently quoted as saying. The platform’s losses had become unsustainable.
According to MultiChoice, Showmax recorded R2.6-billion in trading losses for the year ending March 2024, which ballooned to R4.9-billion by March 2025, dragging the company’s overall trading profit down by 49%.
Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada, whose company recently acquired MultiChoice, confirmed the platform was “not a commercial success — it’s quite obvious.”
Showmax’s trajectory reflects the wider challenges of streaming in Africa. Despite around 600 million smartphones across the continent, limited broadband penetration and costly mobile data have constrained growth.
Only about 4–5% of Africa’s 100 million electrified, TV-owning households have access to fibre networks, leaving a vast majority unable to reliably stream content at home.
Originally, MultiChoice designed Showmax as a local rival to Netflix. Its early years saw modest success as a complement to DStv, the company’s pay-TV service.
But in 2023, MultiChoice bet big, partnering with NBCUniversal and Sky to bring Peacock technology, premium international content, and live English Premier League football to the revamped Showmax 2.0.
The relaunch in 2024 across 44 African markets offered new apps, branding, and a three-tier pricing model, but subscriber growth and revenues fell far short of projections.
In a statement, MultiChoice said the shutdown followed a “comprehensive review” of the service as the group reassesses its broader digital strategy and long-term sustainability.
While Showmax will continue operating temporarily, the platform’s closure signals a pivot under Canal+ ownership toward more financially disciplined streaming investments.
For African viewers, Showmax’s demise serves as a reminder that local streaming platforms face structural and economic barriers that even well-funded experiments struggle to overcome, leaving global players like Netflix in a dominant position.
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