MultiChoice Group has officially announced the discontinuation of Showmax, signalling the end of one of Africa’s most ambitious and expensive digital experiments. The decision brings a definitive close to a platform that launched in 2015 and underwent a massive, high-stakes relaunch in 2024. Ultimately, Showmax failed to achieve commercial viability in a landscape defined by low broadband penetration, prohibitive data costs, and fierce global competition.
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The announcement follows blunt assessments from top leadership. MultiChoice CEO David Mignot recently admitted to TechCentral that the business “can’t continue” in its current form, stating plainly that the platform simply was not “flying.” Maxime Saada, CEO of Canal+ (which now owns MultiChoice), was equally transparent with analysts, describing Showmax’s lack of commercial success as “obvious.”
The financial data paints a grim picture. Showmax recorded a trading loss of R2.6 billion for the year ending March 2024. Those losses skyrocketed by 88% to R4.9 billion in the 2025 fiscal year. This massive deficit dragged MultiChoice Group’s overall trading profit down by nearly 50%, with revenues and subscriber growth falling significantly short of internal targets. In a statement, the company noted that such substantial annual losses had become unsustainable, necessitating a shift toward “financial discipline and investment optimization.”
Showmax’s journey serves as a cautionary tale for the African streaming sector. Originally conceived as a local counter to Netflix, Showmax initially served as a modest companion to DStv. However, as the global streaming wars intensified, MultiChoice opted for a “bet-the-farm” strategy. In 2023, it partnered with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky, giving NBCUniversal a 30% stake and integrating Peacock’s streaming technology.
The resulting “Showmax 2.0,” launched in early 2024 across 44 markets, featured a prestigious content pipeline from HBO, Sony, and Warner Bros., alongside live English Premier League football. Despite the premium offerings, the platform could not overcome infrastructure hurdles. While Africa boasts 600 million smartphones, the economics of mobile streaming remain broken due to data costs. Furthermore, only 4–5% of the continent’s 100 million electrified households have access to fibre, creating an insurmountable gap between the envisioned digital future and the current reality on the ground.
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MultiChoice has clarified that the closure will not result in retrenchments; instead, employees will be transitioned into other roles. Moving forward, the group intends to deploy an “in-house large-scale streaming platform” designed to meet consumer expectations more efficiently. Canal+ has pledged to continue investing in premium content and technological innovation to maintain its leadership in African entertainment.
More details regarding the group’s future streaming strategy are expected on March 11, when Canal+ releases its first set of combined financial results. For now, the demise of Showmax marks the conclusion of a decade-long effort to build a homegrown rival to global giants; a venture that began as a frontier for growth but ended as one of the continent’s most expensive media lessons.
