Showmax bets on exclusive local shows to ward off stiff competition

This latest plan comes two years after Showmax promised to lay emphasis on local content during its launch in Kenya in 2016.

The VoD service company is a subsidiary of the internet giant Naspers, which is also mother company to pay TV firm Multichoice.

Multichoice regional head of content Sharleen Samat said the unveiling of the firm’s talent factory in October fits into the group’s broader strategy of ensuring that its services, including Showmax, continue to produce content that resonates with the locals.

The talent factory is currently training 20 students to be film makers.

“Showmax already has a competitive offering in terms of series and movies but what we are doing is we keep asking ourselves how we can continue making it relevant. One thing that Showmax is doing now is that we are starting to introduce exclusive and new programmes,” said Ms Samat.

30 countries

“It is not necessarily what we have already aired in our other platforms, it is content exclusive to Showmax. This is our strategic plan and will continue to strengthen our offering as we go ahead.”

ShowMax — which initially targeted South African market—was launched in August 2015 but has since spread to over 30 countries in Africa.

The service was the second second VoD service to launch in Kenya after Netflix, which opened up its services to most of the world beginning 2016.

Netflix remains Showmax’s biggest competitor locally and this has informed Showmax’s latest strategy of offering more exclusive and local programmes.

“It (VoD) is a very competitive market field and we are definitely geared towards playing aggressively in that field.

"For us we are not just about great content but we are also about being able to deliver it easily and as cost effectively as possible to the customer.”