Wetin dey happen? Showmax, dat streaming app wey many of us dey use watch our series and movies, don finally close shop for end of April. Na MultiChoice, under dem new owners Canal+, take dis decision. Dem say na because to run am standalone dey too costly. So now, all di content wey dey Showmax before, dem dey try move am go DStv Stream.
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But as dis writer sit down with im chocolate eggs to test di new DStv Stream Compact wey dem give Showmax subscribers as free trial, frustration just dey catch am. Logging in from Apple TV no hard, you just scan QR code with your phone. But di content wey show face, e no complete at all. Where Game of Thrones dey? House of the Dragon? Mr Robot? Steinheist? Di Girl from St Agnes? Dem don vanish. Even some Showmax Originals wey dem promise go dey, no fully show.
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Di reason fit be licensing wahala. Maybe di license to stream some of dat big shows na for Showmax alone, no be for DStv. Or maybe dem just cut content wey no too dey popular to save cost. Showmax don talk say dem go dey add new content every week, so make we dey look. But as e stand now, di catalogue no strong.
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Now, make we talk sport. If you no be fan of football, wrestling, basketball, horse racing, and fighting, sorry for you. DStv Stream Compact no get cricket, rugby, motorsport or golf. For live TV channels, e get plenty movie, lifestyle and reality channels—about 131 total. DStv Premium sef get just “140+” channels, so Compact no too bad. But di missing things dey pain.
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Di stream quality sef dey up and down. E go dey 1080p sharp one minute, next minute e turn to blocky pixels. Di app even dey complain say network problem dey, even when your 100Mbps line dey work perfectly for every other app.
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Price wahala dey too. After di free trial end for May, Showmax subscribers fit continue with DStv Stream Compact for R99 per month for one year. But look am well: normal DStv Stream Compact dey start from R299 per month. And DStv Premium dey start from R699. So dis R99 offer sweet, but e still dey cut off many people wey dey only afford Showmax before. Di price gap just don worse.
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Even for watching later, wahala dey. If you miss wetin you wan watch, you better pray say e dey for PVR or inside di catalogue. Take Die Kantoor, our Naija version of The Office, as example. You fit only watch am until 1st May. Wetin happen after dat? We hope e no just disappear comot.
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Right now, DStv Stream no convince person to sign one-year contract. Dem need more sport channels, more Showmax content, and make di platform stable well. Dis whole move fit wound MultiChoice more than dem think. If di new owners, Canal+, no fit make am better and cheaper, who know? Dem fit just cut loss, comot DStv Stream, launch dem own streaming platform for here.
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Speaking of Canal+, di French media giant wey officially take control of MultiChoice for September 2025, dem get big plan to turn things around. David Mignot, di CEO of Canal+ Africa, talk say dem wan stop di subscriber loss wey MultiChoice dey suffer. For March 2026, Canal+ announce plan to invest up to €100 million (about R1.9 billion) to help MultiChoice recover.
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But di work hard. For 2025, MultiChoice record €142 million (R2.69 billion) drop for revenue and lose about half a million subscribers. So Canal+ plan rest on four main things. First, dem wan strengthen content across Africa with joint productions, in-house channels, and international partners. Local content and key sports rights go remain important.
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Second, dem wan simplify MultiChoice commercial matter—make pricing clear, branding simple, marketing better. Third, dem wan expand field operations, make distribution network wide, reduce entry cost to attract more subscribers. Fourth, dem wan restructure MultiChoice and im technology subsidiary, Irdeto. Dis one include voluntary severance packages for some staff to make operations better.
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For di Showmax shutdown, MultiChoice assure say no staff go lose job. Dem say dem go support workers with transition options. Willington Ngwepe, di contracting entity for DStv for South Africa, talk say, “Our priority is to ensure customers continue to have a home for the stories they love.”
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So di gist be dis: Showmax don go. DStv Stream dey here, but e still dey find im footing. Content dey miss, quality dey shake, price arrangement dey cause confusion. All eyes dey on Canal+ and MultiChoice to see if dis big change go work, or if e go just push more customers away. Di next few months go tell.
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