ShowMax launched in South Africa on 19 August, offering a subscription video on demand (SVOD) service for a monthly fee of R99.<\/p>\n
For that price, ShowMax boss John Kotsaftis said subscribers will have access to over 11,000 hours of TV shows \u2013 made up of over 750 titles, 850 seasons, and 19,000 episodes.<\/p>\n
The service also has a selection of around 400 movies, which Kotsaftis said would be expanded in time.<\/p>\n
Read: ShowMax vs DStv: which gives the better deal?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Kotsaftis said\u00a0they focussed mainly on series for the launch, as they\u2019ve noticed subscribers on SVOD services \u201cbinge watching\u201d shows.<\/p>\n Kotsaftis said they would take a page\u00a0out of Netflix\u2019s book by analysing their usage data, and then produce original content based on what is most popular on the service.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore the end of the year we\u2019ll have our first original show for the South African audience,\u201d said Kotsaftis.<\/p>\n This is one of the things that will give ShowMax\u00a0an edge over VOD giant Netflix when they launch in SA, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are focussing on South Africa in a way that Netflix doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if they believe if\u00a0ShowMax can compete against the likes of Netflix, which already has over 60 million subscribers globally, Kotsaftis said they wouldn\u2019t have launched ShowMax if they hadn\u2019t done their homework.<\/p>\n \u201cI think our content selection is actually broader compared to when Netflix launches in a new country,\u201d<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not talking about using a VPN,\u201d he added \u2013 referring to accessing the US Netflix catalogue by tricking the service into thinking you\u2019re connecting to it from the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are unashamedly ambitious.\u00a0I think we have a fighting chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Netflix competitor ShowMax launches in SA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Vodacom in talks with Naspers over ShowMax<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n SA Netflix competitor ShowMax for R99 per month<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nFocussed on series, focussed on SA<\/h3>\n
Does ShowMax stand a chance against Netflix?<\/h3>\n
More on ShowMax<\/h3>\n