S03 CAF 1 2022 Agenda C_Layout 1 18/02/2022 12:21 Page 11
Mobile TV
BROADCASTING
Photo: Showmax
“We have solid data saving options on our mobile app.”
See all the hit shows – on your phone! Streaming TV is today popular around the world – offering access to diverse content almost anywhere on almost any internet-enabled device. That, of course, is a very appealing proposition for the growing number of Africans who access the internet mainly – or solely – via smartphones. And companies like Showmax are delivering the content Africans want the way they want it –as Vaughan O’Grady finds out.
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HOWMAX IS AN internet TV service. It was launched in 2015. The service is available throughout sub-Saharan Africa and to selected diaspora markets worldwide. What sets Showmax apart, it says, is a unique combination of hit African content, first and exclusive international series, the best kids’ shows, and live sport from SuperSport. For a single monthly fee a user can get unlimited access. “Start and stop when you want. No ads. Cancel anytime,” as the publicity material says. Streaming Showmax means using apps – not just for smart TVs, tablets, computers, media players and gaming consoles but also, and importantly, for smartphones. And, as data isn’t always cheap, customers can manage data consumption using a bandwidth capping feature. In addition, if there is no internet, they can download shows to smartphones and tablets to watch later offline. Of course mobile is often the viewing medium of choice in Africa, where it is not just a
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useful alternative to TV but the main form of internet access for millions of people. So how pervasive is viewing on mobiles or tablets? Candice Fangueiro, head of content for Showmax, explained, “Mobile is very important in Africa, which is why we offer Showmax and Showmax Pro as mobile-only subscriptions to suit those subscribers who use their mobile phone as their primary device for consuming video content.” She continued, “This is also why we’ve made mobile a priority for Showmax. We were the first
We offer Showmax and Showmax Pro as mobile-only subscriptions to suit those subscribers who use their mobile phone as their primary device for consuming video content.
streaming service to allow subscribers to download and watch content offline.” There is even an offering that helps you to limit your data use. “We have solid data-saving options on our mobile app that limit streaming to 100Mb an hour – you can stream for 10 hours on Showmax on your phone with 1GB.” OTT and streamed offerings have spurred a growth in content in most markets – and Africa is no exception. As Fangueiro pointed out, “The African entertainment industry is a very exciting place to be right now: there’s experienced talent, fresh locations and a wealth of incredible, underexposed stories. Demand for African stories both locally and internationally is on the rise.” In fact in 2021 the service’s original programming, called Showmax Originals, consistently broke records as the most watched content ever on the streaming platform, from reality TV series The Real Housewives of Durban in January and June to true crime docuseries Devilsdorp in July to telenovela The Wife in November 2021, not to mention I Am Laycon, a series about a Big Brother star,
Communications Africa Issue 1 2022
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