Showmax, the popular video on demand subscription service is being reported to be testing live sports streaming.
According to Nexttv News, Showmax has launched a live sport streaming trial in South Africa which allows people to watch live sport on the video on demand platform.
The live sports that people can watch include live South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup games, SuperSport magazine and talk shows, extended highlights, selected live amateur and professional games, SuperSport Rugby challenge and sport focused movies and documentaries.
This live sport option is available on the several Showmax apps in the country but it excludes the one on Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation and in certain smart TVs.
This is actually a big move by Showmax. Live sports draws huge numbers by any measure in the world. Football for example draws huge audiences, especially the popular European football leagues. There are also other popular sporting competitions that draw huge audiences like the rugby world cup, cricket tournaments and not forgetting the Olympics.
Currently, their sister company, DStv, is one of the most recognizable faces when it comes to streaming live sports content via satellite. It is arguably one of the reasons people still have a DStv account and they use it to catch up to the latest sporting events around the world, especially if they have a Premium account.
If Showmax successfully taps into this market, it could be huge for them. We will have to wait and see if the pilot works out and if it gets rolled out to the rest of the continent.
