Africa’s leading pay TV company MultiChoice Group has partnered with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky to relaunch its pan-Africa video streaming platform Showmax.
The new Showmax group will be 70% owned by MultiChoice and 30% by NBCUniversal.
MultiChoice said it aims to build on Showmax’s success to date and to create the leading streaming service its 50-market footprint in sub-Saharan Africa, at a time when Africa is approaching an inflection point in terms of broadband connectivity and affordability.
Powered by the technology that drives Comcast’s streaming platform Peacock, the revamped Showmax service will give subscribers access to local content from MultiChoice as well as international content licensed from NBCUniversal and Sky, third party content from HBO, Warner Brothers International, Sony and others, including live English Premier League (EPL) football.
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NBCUniversal and Sky will provide ongoing support through the licensing of both technology and content.
“We launched Showmax as the first African streaming service in 2015 and are extremely proud of its success to date. This agreement represents a great opportunity for our Showmax team to scale even greater heights by working with a leading global player in Comcast and its subsidiaries,” said Calvo Mawela, Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice.
Dana Strong, group CEO of Sky, commented, “This new collaboration in streaming and content with MultiChoice, NBCUniversal, and Sky takes our partnership to the next level in one of the world’s most vibrant, fastest growing markets.”
Matt Strauss, chairman, direct-to-consumer & international of NBCUniversal, added: “This partnership is an incredible opportunity to further scale the global presence of Peacock’s world-class streaming technology, as well as to introduce millions of new customers to extensive premium content from NBCUniversal and Sky’s stellar entertainment brands.”
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