If your hunger for local content can’t be quenched, we direct your attention to the newly overhauled SABC+ streaming service. The streaming service has a new website, is sporting a fresh new look, offers higher-quality streaming options, and no longer requires an account to access. We hope Showmax is taking notes.
This not-so-new streaming service has emerged from the ashes of the previous SABC+ which went down for maintenance on 01 December 2023, never to return. We specifically mean the old site, sabcplus.com, accessed through a web browser. It is gone so that sabc-plus.com can live on in its place. A redirect would’ve been nice.
If you’re coming from Android or Apple devices, you’ll want to check out the SABC+ app on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.
New SABC+ for everyone
Introducing SABC Plus' new home! This festive season, we invite you to journey with us as we work on improving our streaming platform for you. You can access SABC Plus here: https://t.co/UWGPPc2osC without login or registration this season and watch the Festive Pop-Up Channel. pic.twitter.com/Bm08NENgm9
— SABC+ (@SABCPlus) November 30, 2023
Aside from the new design and layout, the next notable change is you don’t need a registered account to use the service. But that might change with the broadcaster saying “this season” in an announcement post.
Another new thing that will probably disappear next month is the Festive pop-up channel. We can’t see that getting many eyes come February. Everyone’s favourite free-to-air SABC channels return, including SABC 1, 2, 3, News, and Sport. When moving pictures get boring users have 19 radio stations to hop between.
Other upgrades include the option to manually pick your streaming quality and a picture-in-picture mode. Streaming options range from the data-friendly 240p up to 1080p – more than Showmax can manage. The picture-in-picture mode does what you’d think and pops the video out into a draggable and resizable new window. This allows users to stream the latest sports news for free while they’re supposed to be writing articles or doing other work.
Unfortunately, users will have to wait for the return of features from the old service, like the catch-up feature and screencasting. Hopefully, the broadcaster will add them back before too long.