This strategic Showmax relaunch is in partnership with industry giants Multichoice Group, Comcast, NBC Universal, and Sky.

Showmax’s General Manager in Nigeria, Opeoluwa Filani, representing John Ugbe, the CEO, expressed gratitude during the pre-launch event, stating, “It’s an absolute delight to stand before you as we usher in a new era for Showmax in collaboration with Comcast, NBC Universal, and Sky.”

Filani highlighted the importance of this collaboration, emphasizing the creation of a new Showmax that reflects the changing environment of streaming video on demand services. He also mentioned the upcoming February launch, promising a brand-new look, an innovative app, and an entirely revamped product supported by cutting-edge technology.

“Our steadfast dedication lies in amplifying indigenous content creation, championing narratives that authentically represent Africa’s rich cultural heritage,” said Filani, underlining Showmax’s commitment to local content.

Filani detailed Showmax’s journey, which aims to elevate Nigeria’s storytelling to a global audience. He highlighted the platform’s role as a pioneer, empowering local creators and showcasing their talents to the world through a diverse range of Nigerian originals and culturally relevant shows.

To assert Showmax’s commitment to local content, Filani revealed an extensive library of over 80,000 hours of content, emphasizing the platform’s focus in driving the surge of streaming video on demand in the region.

“We have an expansive African operational footprint that benefits Showmax from our fiscal offices to sales forces, marketing teams, regulatory, finance, and legal teams,” Filani stated, emphasizing Showmax’s strong position in the market.

The revelation of collaborations with industry giants like HBO, was noted to facilitate a surge in international content. Filani also mentioned upcoming live sports offerings tailored to the audience of football lovers in Nigeria.

“With over 50 million smartphones in the hands of Nigerians, our new Showmax production is set to address a substantial market,” Filani said.

The partnership with the English Premier League was a major highlight, with Showmax introducing a mobile-only subscription that grants access to all 386 games for an affordable monthly fee, starting from February 23, 2024.

CEO of the Premier League, Richard Masters, acknowledged the strength of the partnership with Multichoice and expressed excitement about the new initiative, stating, “The Premier League in your pocket with a new price point to watch all Premier League matches on mobile phones.”

Arinola Shobande, Head of Marketing for Showmax Nigeria, added a personal touch to the announcement, emphasizing the exceptional features of the new Showmax. She highlighted the platform’s curated content, improved search functionality, and optimized streaming experience, promising users the ability to stream for 24 hours with just one gig of data.

“This product is not just about streaming on demand; it’s a new experience. It’s all about falling in love with content all over again. This is Showmax. Welcome to the new era,” Shobande exclaimed.

Shobande highlighted the two-year journey that led to the creation of an exceptional product, noting its accessibility to both high and low-income earners. “We didn’t rebrand because the product was broken; it was already good. We wanted to elevate it into something exceptional,” she asserted.

The cornerstone of this rebrand is the new Showmax logo, an identity beyond mere colors and symbols. The orange colour is a gradient that describes how the sun rises and you can only see that in Africa.

Shobande explained that the logo tells a story, portraying how Showmax connects Africans to the content they love. She noted that the rebrand is a result of extensive research and collaboration with people from all over Africa.

The mission at Showmax, as stated by Shobande, is to offer an effortless platform providing affordable access to a wide array of content. With prices as low as N1200, Showmax aims to cater to hardworking Africans, allowing them to enjoy quality entertainment without breaking the bank. Shobande expressed gratitude to the technical team and customers who actively participated in trials, stating the extensive effort that went into creating the new app.

Dr. Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and Channels, West Africa, MultiChoice, then took the stage to shed light on the exciting content lineup for Showmax’s relaunch. Tejumola announced the release of 21 new titles across Africa, with Nigeria set to receive five. She highlighted shows like “Chetam,” an epic drama series, and “Free Men,” a documentary series on the apprenticeship system in the East.

The content revelation continued with insights into Showmax’s impressive production statistics. Tejumola revealed that Showmax has produced over 1300 hours of originals, a 150% increase from the previous year. She emphasized the impact on local economies and communities, showcasing Showmax’s commitment to providing diverse and engaging content.

During a panel session, Showmax’s primary focus on the African market was discussed, touching on the strategic relaunch, emphasizing a commitment to delivering the best service, technology, and content for African viewers. Plans to potentially expand to other markets were hinted at, but the immediate focus remained on Africa.

A notable highlight of the panel session was the clarification on Showmax’s decision to make Premier League content available exclusively on mobile devices. The emphasis was on Africa being a mobile-first continent, with over 450 million mobile phones. The move aims to make the EPL accessible to a broader audience, aligning with the evolving consumer behavior.

The executives addressed questions regarding Showmax’s standalone nature, subscription models, and competition. They reaffirmed Showmax’s focus on providing quality content at affordable prices, speaking on the hyperlocal strategy and partnerships that secure access to extensive international content libraries.

As the event concluded, Showmax confirmed that the new app will be available for download from January 23rd, existing users will maintain initial login details, with a seamless migration process. By February 12, all 44 countries will have migrated into the new Showmax app.

This comes at a time when Africa is approaching an inflection point in terms of broadband connectivity and affordability. 

The new Showmax group will be 70% owned by MultiChoice and 30% by NBCUniversal. It will build on Showmax’s success to date and aim to create the leading streaming service in Africa.

Powered by Peacock’s leading, globally-scaled technology, Showmax subscribers will have access to an extensive premium content portfolio, bringing African audiences the best of local and international programming. 

The service will combine MultiChoice’s accelerating investment in local content with a unique pipeline of award-winning and critically acclaimed international content licensed from NBCUniversal and Sky, third party content from HBO, Warner Brothers International, Sony and others, as well as live English Premier League (EPL) football. 

The partnership will also provide access to all the best African content such as Showmax Originals and local content from MultiChoice’s proprietary channels including Mzansi Magic, Africa Magic and Maisha Magic. 

Using a significant portfolio of global media assets and Peacock’s streaming platform, which finished 2022 with over 20 million paid subscribers in the US, NBCUniversal and Sky will provide ongoing support through the licensing of both technology and content.

“We launched Showmax as the first African streaming service in 2015 and are extremely proud of its success to date. This agreement represents a great opportunity for our Showmax team to scale even greater heights by working with a leading global player in Comcast and its subsidiaries,” said Calvo Mawela, Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice.

“The new business venture deepens an already strong relationship and builds on the Sky Glass technology partnership that we announced in September last year. We believe we are extremely well positioned to create a winning platform going forward.”

Dana Strong, Group Chief Executive Officer, Sky, commented, “This new collaboration in streaming and content with MultiChoice, NBCUniversal, and Sky takes our partnership to the next level in one of the world’s most vibrant, fastest growing markets. Last year, we announced MultiChoice as a customer of the Sky Glass platform and now we are excited to help innovate its Showmax streaming service.”

Matt Strauss, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer & International, NBCUniversal, added, “This partnership is an incredible opportunity to further scale the global presence of Peacock’s world-class streaming technology, as well as to introduce millions of new customers to extensive premium content from NBCUniversal and Sky’s stellar entertainment brands.”