Showmax Pro, which airs sports events, will be bringing FIFA World Cup 2022 to its customers, but that is not news because the platform has been doing that for a while now (games, not the World Cup).
This time around, however, the matches will be broadcasted in 4K thanks to a partnership between Showmax Pro and Supersport.
This is also an interesting development because for a long time, and as we know it, Showmax does not air content even in 1080p. Shows and films have been stuck at 720p, and that has always been an issue among users.
African viewers can, of course, choose the data streaming option that best suits them: in addition to the new 4K and High Definition (HD) options, there are Low, Data Saving and Max Data Saving modes that use just 300MB, 100MB and 50MB per hour respectively.
There are officially 40 days to go until the FIFA World Cup Qatar. The Showmax Pro plan allows subscribers to register up to five devices – including smart TVs, media boxes and mobile devices – and stream simultaneously on two devices at the same time. We however wish that the streams were more because the competition such as Netflix allows up to 4 concurrent screens.
Showmax Pro also offers a mobile-only plan that allows viewers to stream on a single mobile device.
The Qatar event will host 64 matches.
Reigning world champions France will be defending their title at the FIFA World Cup Qatar, taking place from 20 November 2022 until the final on 18 December 2022. This is the first time the FIFA World Cup will be hosted in the Arab world. Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia will be representing Africa.
“We built Showmax Pro with our football-mad continent in mind,” says Yolisa Phahle, CEO of Connected Video at MultiChoice. “We became the first streaming service in Africa to make mobile downloads possible for offline viewing and created the lowest data streaming option on the continent. Now we are gearing up for the world’s greatest sports spectacle, which deserves to be seen in the best quality possible, so we’re delighted to introduce 4K for the first time during the FIFA World Cup Qatar. The 4K stream will have up to 50 frames per second (fps), double the standard 25fps we currently offer.”
