MultiChoice has announced that it will shut down Showmax, ending the streaming platform that was once positioned as the centrepiece of its growth strategy in Africa.
The Showmax board made the decision following a comprehensive review of the company’s streaming activities, MultiChoice, now part of French media giant Groupe Canal+, said in a statement.
MultiChoice said the substantial annual losses experienced by the Showmax business had proved unsustainable in an increasingly competitive and capital-intensive global streaming environment.
“The decision to phase out Showmax reflects our focus on building a sustainable, competitive business for the long term in an increasingly demanding global streaming environment,” the company said.
“The decision to discontinue Showmax services will not involve any retrenchments. The Group will be engaging and supporting employees through various transition options.”
In an email to subscribers, Showmax assured that there would be no immediate interruption of its existing service.
“You can continue streaming as usual, and no action is required from you at this time. We understand that this news may raise questions,” it stated.
“Showmax subscribers are a priority for us, and we are working on plans to ensure clear communication and a smooth transition when the time comes.”
The notice said that MultiChoice would share further details well in advance, including timelines and any future steps, should they be required.
The announcement follows months of increasingly blunt assessments from Canal+ leadership about Showmax’s financial performance since the French group took control of MultiChoice in September 2025.
Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada said in January that Showmax was not a commercial success, describing its underperformance as obvious given the heavy investment in marketing, content, and technology.
Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot followed in February, confirming that Showmax could not continue in its current form and that the business was simply not working from a financial perspective.
MultiChoice’s 2025 financial year results revealed the scale of Showmax’s losses, which had ballooned by 88% from R2.6 billion to R4.9 billion.
Revenue generated during that period was approximately R750 million — a fraction of the $1 billion (roughly R16.5 billion) annual target that former MultiChoice executive Yolisa Phahle had set in May 2023.
Phahle had projected that Showmax would reach 16 million active subscribers paying an average of R99 per month, with an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) margin of 25%.
MultiChoice originally launched Showmax in South Africa in August 2015 as one of Africa’s first major subscription video-on-demand platforms, pre-empting Netflix’s expansion into the continent.
For several years, it operated as a modest complement to DStv, but MultiChoice decided to scale it dramatically as its core satellite television business began losing subscribers.
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