For years people have been asking for a service that combines the sweetness of sports and the advantages of Netflix /Showmax (Video on Demand). You see when it comes to live sports, DSTV has no equal but when it comes to watching TV Shows/Series and movies the experience is less than ideal unless one invests in things like PVR which are awkward at best. People want to watch shows when they want, pause and binge watch. This is where Showmax Pro comes in.

Showmax was Multichoice’s response to Netflix. It is a streaming service that provides DSTV content to subscribers in African countries and beyond. Sadly the service pales in comparison when it comes to things like amount of global content on it and number of subscribers. However, Showmax is still a noble service that offers popular South African soapies and Telenovelas on demand. In addition it also aggregates content from HBO, ABC and other networks. Stuff you will not find on Netflix. The service has been like this for years and Showmax Pro is Multichoice’s attempt to shake things up.

Showmax Pro

Showmax Pro adds live sports packages to the traditional Showmax experience. The following sports are specifically listed although there is the possibility that more will be added:

English Premiership League (this is the major draw)
Laliga
Serie A
MotoGP
Tour de France
US Open
Roland Garros

NB Showmax does not state whether UEFA (another major draw) will be available on this platform.

The cost

One would obviously need to pay for fast internet. Showmax costs will be on top of that. The new Showmax packages are as follows:

Showmax Mobile R49
Showmax US$7.99 or R99
Showmax Pro Mobile US$8.99 or R225
Showmax Pro US$17.99 or R449

NB Clearly when it comes to the Pro packages it’s much cheaper to pay in US dollars than in Rand. To do this one needs either a PayPal account or Visa/MasterCard. For the standard packages paying in Rand is cheaper and one can pay by buying vouchers in various stores in South Africa. Sadly Zimbabweans don’t qualify for discounts if they already have a DSTV subscription.