The future of streaming for South African audiences

South Africa’s streaming landscape just got shook. After nearly a decade of trying to compete with global giants like Netflix and Disney+, Showmax is reportedly shutting down. Launched in 2015 by MultiChoice, Showmax aimed to be Africa’s answer to streaming, producing popular local shows and expanding into dozens of African countries. But despite relaunches, partnerships, and investment in local content, the platform struggled to keep up with international competitors — and the costs of content, technology, and marketing reportedly became too high to sustain. To help us make sense of what this means for subscribers, local content creators, and the future of streaming in Africa, we’re joined by Jan Vermeulen, Editor-in-Chief of MyBroadband, who has been covering this story closely. In this episode, we dig into: Why Showmax, once a local streaming hope, couldn’t survive the global streaming wars What happens to all the local shows and African productions it supported How MultiChoice’s strategy might shift moving forward The future of streaming for South African audiences Whether you’re a Showmax subscriber, a content creator, or just curious about the streaming industry in South Africa, this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.     Get ready for the ride of your life with Thando Thabethe, Matt Flax, and Lerato Höffele every Monday to Friday from 3–6pm.  Strap in for out-of-the-box topics, games, anecdotes, and antics that everyone—young and old—can enjoy. Test your general knowledge with Can’t Beat, take on the Tuesday Challenge, and don’t miss the Friday Live edition from Montecasino, featuring the hottest guests.   Thank you for listening to the Drive with Thando podcast  Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 to 18:00 to Drive with Thando broadcast on 947 https://buff.ly/y34dh8Y  For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/DPbJW3r or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/ODmGX07  Subscribe to the 947 Weekly Newsletter here https://buff.ly/hf9IuR9  Follow us on social media    947 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/947Joburg/  947 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@947joburg  947 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/947joburg  947 on X https://x.com/947   947 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@947Joburg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.