MultiChoice has officially confirmed, that it will discontinue the Showmax streaming service. This decision comes directly on the heels of the takeover by French media giant Canal+, which completed its acquisition of MultiChoice in late 2025.
The “Showmax Board” made the call after a comprehensive review found the platform’s losses to be unsustainable. Despite a massive relaunch in 2024 (partnering with NBCUniversal’s Peacock technology), the service reportedly faced a staggering trading loss of nearly R4.9 billion ($260 million) in the last financial year.
MultiChoice has stated there will be no immediate interruption to the service. You can continue streaming your favorite shows for now.
Canal+ is reportedly looking to replace Showmax with its own global streaming infrastructure (likely a version of its myCanal platform) to consolidate costs and content.
Many “Showmax Originals” are already being rebranded and shifted to linear channels like M-Net and Africa Magic.
Under the takeover agreement, Canal+ has committed to no job losses for three years, meaning staff will likely be transitioned to other parts of the merged group.
Streaming is a “deep pockets” game. While Showmax was the local champion, competing with the R&D and content budgets of Netflix and Disney+ proved too expensive. Canal+ is shifting the strategy from a standalone “Netflix competitor” to a more integrated digital offering that fits their global footprint.
