Showmax Pro recently launched in South Africa, allowing local sports fans to stream live fixtures without a DStv subscription.
This service also includes the full selection of series and movies available on Showmax, and this should be factored into the price of the standalone streaming service.
Showmax Pro is priced at R449 per month, with the Mobile version of the service being priced at R225 per month.
Showmax Pro Mobile also offers selected sports, news, and entertainment, but is available only on smartphones and tablets, grants only one viewing stream and a single registered device.
The full version of the service is available on various devices, offering two simultaneous viewing streams with a resolution of up to 720p, and allows for five registered devices.
Showmax Pro includes the following sports:
- Football: English Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, FA Cup, UEFA Champions and Europa Leagues (SA only), and Premier Soccer League.
- Athletics: Diamond League, and World Challenge League.
- Running: Berlin, Boston, London, NYC, and Soweto Marathons.
- Boxing: Selected IBF, WBA, WBO, WBC and African Boxing events.
- Other (SA only): Swimming, extreme sports, eSports, basketball, triathlon, horse racing, EFC, netball, and hockey.
If you want to watch motorsport, cricket, rugby, or other sports which are included in SuperSport but not in Showmax Pro, you will need to sign up for DStv Premium.
However, it is possible to build your own live sports streaming bouquet by subscribing to individual sporting events through their official online platforms.
We compared the price of international live sports streaming services available in South Africa with that of Showmax Pro below.
Build your own bouquet
The table below shows the price of various sports streaming services that provide some of the content available on DStv Premium’s SuperSport channels.
There is currently no pure streaming option for the three most popular sports among South African viewers – football, rugby, and cricket.
Where required, pricing was converted from USD values to South African Rand using the exchange rate at the time of writing.
| Streaming Pricing | |
|---|---|
| Streaming Service | Price per month |
| F1TV Pro | R83.46 |
| UFC Fight Pass | R200.75 |
| Tennis TV | R250.90 |
| WWE Network | R167.30 |
| Total | R702.41 |
The prices above show that while it is possible to subscribe to individual sports streaming services in South Africa, it is more effective to sign up to Showmax Pro or DStv.
As Showmax Pro is priced at R449 per month and includes a wide selection of sport, this will be the more affordable choice for many local viewers.
However, those who are only interested in a single sport, such as Formula 1, may find more value in signing up to an individual streaming service like F1TV Pro, provided they forgo a DStv Premium subscription, which includes F1 coverage.
It is apparent that while it is possible to build your own bouquet of digital streaming services, it is likely that you will find more value in signing up to Showmax Pro or DStv Premium if you watch a variety of sport.