Roughly three years after its launch, MultiChoice is officially shutting down Showmax Pro, the broadcaster’s sports-focused streaming service, in favour of a new Showmax – powered by Comcast. According to a FAQ post on Showmax’s website, the phase-out period will be complete by 30 November 2023.
If you weren’t paying attention, MultiChoice first announced its massive partnership with Comcast back in March of this year, with the idea being to squash Showmax and relaunch – as Showmax – with Peacock’s (a US-based streamer) tech at the helm, and a host of new content.
The New Showmax
The service has yet to detail any specific content or pricing for the new Showmax, which we’re guessing is targeting a 01 December launch. It did mention that the new offering would focus more on the English Premier League, the most-watched football league in Africa. More details on content and pricing will be shared closer to the launch, it said.
As for the current iteration of Showmax Pro, the service will stop taking new sign-ups from 1 October 2023. Already-existing Pro subscribers will see their charges come to an end on 30 October, with those customers being able to view the service’s content until then.
Read More: The WGA strikes a deal
To make up for the impending shutdown, Showmax Pro customers will be offered a DStv Compact Plus Stream package for the same price – which instantly gives those customers a wider selection of sports and channels. It’s worth noting that this deal, which saves customers R120/m, is only available to existing customers, according to MultiChoice:
“This deal is exclusively available to existing Showmax Pro customers, who will receive emails from Showmax and DStv with more information about the deal. This offer isn’t available to Showmax Pro mobile customers, but other mobile offers will become available in future.”