Multichoice-owned online streaming service Showmax is launching a live sports streaming service which bundles the existing entertainment service with music channels, news, and live sport streaming from SuperSport.
The service will initially roll out in Nigeria and Kenya, with additional countries following shortly after.
Showmax already offers a streaming service of entertainment, music, and news; but is tapping into the soccer content from SuperSport, the sports arm of its parent company, MultiChoice.
The entire process is expected to be completed within six to eight weeks with coverage across sub-Saharan Africa.
"This is the biggest thing we’ve done at Showmax in the five years since we first launched," Niclas Ekdahl, CEO of the Connected Video division of MultiChoice, said.
"Africa is an incredibly diverse continent, so offering a single monolithic product may not be the best solution. Our approach is to standardize where we can and tailor where we need to. That’s why you’ll see different local content on Showmax in Nigeria than you will in Kenya, and South Africa’s content is different again," he added.
Showmax Pro, which will cost from $8 a month in Nigeria and $10 in Kenya and offers a mobile option too, will start streaming on 7 July. The football offering will include all the games from the UK's Premier League, Italy's Serie A and La Liga, and South Africa's Premier Soccer League.
