Naspers’s video-on-demand platform, ShowMax, has launched a lower-priced bouquet with a strong focus on local content. The new bouquet, which is available exclusively to Vodacom customers for now, costs R49/month, or less than half the R99/month fee for the full offering.
“For R49/month, subscribers get unlimited access to a comprehensive catalogue of TV shows, movies, kids shows and documentaries,” ShowMax said in a statement on Thursday.
“This new service has a strong focus on local content, is optimised for lower data consumption on smartphones and tablets, and is billed directly to a Vodacom account with no need for a credit card,” it added. The service is only available on an “add-to-bill” basis.
Called ShowMax Select, the service is meant to be viewed first and foremost on mobile devices, with multiple options available for managing data consumption, said ShowMax Africa head Chris Savides.
“Internet TV services should be accessible to everyone, not just the lucky few who have credit cards,” Savides said.
ShowMax Select has about 10 000 TV show episodes and movies including local hits like Isibaya, Shaka Zulu, Binnelanders and Dineo’s Diary. International shows include Teen Wolf, Merlin, The Driver and Line of Duty. More than half of the content on ShowMax Select is local. New content will be added weekly, the company said.
ShowMax Select is available via apps for Android and iOS, and can also be viewed via Web browsers.
To reduce data consumption, ShowMax Select has been optimised for viewing on smartphones and tablets. Subscribers have the choice of three different streaming video quality settings. The default level is standard definition, which uses almost 40% less data in comparison to the default setting on regular ShowMax.
ShowMax Select gives subscribers the ability to download shows to smartphones and tablets to watch offline, choosing from four different file sizes. Using the most data-efficient setting, downloading a 20-minute TV show will require approximately 80MB. Subscribers not wanting to use mobile data can also download shows via Wi-Fi. Up to 25 shows can be downloaded at any one time, ShowsMax said. – © 2017 NewsCentral Media
