Multichoice has announced that they will be partnering with Netflix and Amazon to bring their streaming services to their new DStv explora decoders. This was revealed in its annual results for the year ended 31 March 2020 according to South African-based Tech website MyBroadband.co.za.
Multichoice already has a streaming service dubbed Showmax which we have been using for a months now. It therefore comes as a surprise that the company is bringing competitor services to its devices. Showmax is a streaming service that works on internet-enabled devices like Smart TVs, streaming sticks and devices, smartphones, tablets, PC and gaming consoles. DStv premium customers can also watch Showmax on their Explora decoders.
Multichoice is also reported to be launching another standalone streaming service based on DStv with field trials on-going in South Africa. Currently Multichoice has DStv now which allows you to watch DStv PayTV content online or on mobile using your DStv subscription.
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Multichoice has not given any further details on when Netflix or Amazon prime video will be launching on its decoders. It’s quite likely to be sooner than later given that a lot of people starting streaming content online to cub boredom due to the Covid19 lockdown. According to South Africa’s Techcentral.co.za, Multichoice is positioning itself as an aggregator of content from various providers.
“As more studios go direct to consumers, consumers have to make multiple choices about what content they get. They are having to do that individually. That’s not a nice user experience, to go through three or four different apps to get to the content,” Jacobs said. Instead, MultiChoice wants to position itself as a “super aggregator”, where it becomes the “go-to shop where you pick and choose what you want to watch in a very easy-to-access platform”.
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Netflix is estimated to have about 1.5 million users in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company has invested heavily in “Made in Africa” content featuring a number of Nollywood titles from Nigeria. Amazon prime video is also equally widely available being supported in 200 countries. We have also tested prime video for months now. While it has great originals such as the Grand tour and huge collection of back catalog, prime video lacks African-themed content. We also noticed that Prime video doesn’t work with Amazon Fire TV stick outside the U.S.
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Lastly its not clear if the Explora decoders will require an internet connection to stream Netflix and Prime Video. With broadband unlimited internet still out of reach for most people in Sub-Saharan Africa, the logical step for Multichoice is to ensure this new service works without internet. It’s quite unlikely to be the case, but not impossible. We shall update you with more details as soon as we get them.
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