MultiChoice Group has decided to reduce the subscription price of its Showmax mobile plan in an effort to entice more customers to take up the service. The price of the mobile subscription has been R49 per month since its launch in November 2019, but has now been reduced by 20% to R39 per month.
Read: Sasol to build hydrogen fuel-cell refuelling stations on N3
Showmax Mobile is a subscription plan which allows customers to use the video streaming platform on a single mobile device – like a tablet or smartphone – with access to the entire catalogue of content. The standard Showmax subscription costs R99 per month, which allows access on multiple device including browsers, smart TVs and gaming consoles.
“We know that consumers are under pressure at the moment and we believe this change will be appreciated by our mobile customers,” MultiChoice Group CEO for Connected Video, Yolisa Phahle said.
A major selling point of Showmax in 2021 is the upcoming slew of original content, according to Phahle. Upcoming originals launching on Showmax this year include:
- Cape Flats neo-noir murder mystery Skemerdans
- Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha’s reality series Uthando Lodumo
- A second co-production with CANAL+
- Blood Psalms, an epic series based on ancient African mythology
- Showmax’s first international reality TV series format – Temptation Island
Four other originals has already been released this year:
- Tali’s Baby Diary
- The small-town psychological thriller DAM
- The Kenyan police procedural Crime and Justice
- Reality series I Am Laycon, Nigeria’s first Showmax Original
Another reason for the price drop is to compete with Netflix, which is priced at the same R39 per month for its mobile plan. Netflix is also planning other mobile subscription plans in South Africa. Netflix offers a Mobile+ subscription for R59 per month which allows customers to watch from laptops in addition to phones and laptops.
