Taking it to the max: The rise and fall of Showmax

It’s the end of an era after MultiChoice and Canal+ pulled the plug on Showmax on Thursday morning. The local streamer, launched in August 2015, was a “game-changer” in the local TV and film industry from the get-go. It had a head start to position itself before competitors Netflix and Amazon Prime Video arrived in SA in 2016.

Showmax was both gritty and gutsy in its digital-first approach and offered contributors the creative freedom to take it to new heights. Here is a timeline of how Showmax found the zeitgeist and set the agenda: Love Kelly Khumalo or hate her, it’s all an obsession: Showmax not only understood this, but it capitalised on it with the release ofLife With Kelly Khumalo.In the middle of the pandemic, the streamer made its first ballsy decision by commissioning its first reality show focused on the life of the controversial singer, with seven episodes screening in August 2020. In the years that followed, Showmax became the home of edgy reality TV shows such asSomizi & Mohale: The Union, The Real Housewives, The Mommy Cluband more.

If it bleeds, it leads. In 2021, Showmax catered to audiences’ appetite for bloodthirsty content in its first original true-crime series,Devilsdorp– based on the mysterious 11 brutal murders that crippled the town of Krugersdorp in 2016. It was a huge ratings hit and set a reported “four-day hours-watched record” for Showmax.Devilsdorppaved the way forSteinheist, Rosemary’s Hitlist and Tracking Thabo Bester.

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The guilty pleasure of soap operas is always a winning recipe, and Showmax shook up the genre in 2021 with the launch of its first original telenovela,The Wife, adapted from Dudu Busani-Dube’s novels. It paid off, as the Zulu telenovela reportedly became “the most-watched Showmax Original ever, racking up 50m+ hours”. The show launched the careers of Bonko Khoza, Kwenzo Ngcobo, Sipho Ndlovu, Gaisang K Noge, Mbalenhle Mavimbela and Mondli Makhoba.

Starring Thembinkosi Mthembu, Thabiso Isaac Rammusi, Nhlanhla Kunene and Luthando Mthembu, the 18+-rated seriesAdultingthat premiered in 2023 explored strong sexual themes that were too hot to handle for some viewers. In February 2024, Showmax had a facelift with a refreshed look, a new app and an updated product offering. This included a supposed record of 21 originals from four African countries and the continent’s first standalone Premier League mobile streaming plan.

The series line-up for this included the teen dramaYoungins, the serial killer thrillerRed Ink and the international co-productionCatch Me A Killer.The film slate includedForever Yena,IntlawuloandMatilda en Matthysfrom SA andThe Counsellorfrom Nigeria. In January 2025, Showmax anchored a first for an African streamer with a live stream of Tyla’s concert in Pretoria. While the reaction from viewers was polarising and lukewarm, Showmax got an “A” for effort withTyla: Live on Showmax.

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