Showmax relaunches brand-new look amid fuming clients

Showmax entered the streaming market in South Africa eight years ago. It has set its sights on becoming the number-one streaming service in Africa with a new product suite. However, thus far, Showmax users have been very unhappy.

SHOWMAX’S RELAUNCH

Showmax‘s relaunch includes a brand-new look, a new app, and an entirely new product suite. This comes after the announcement of the partnership between Showmax and international media heavyweight Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky last year.

Showmax Premier League is part of the new offering. Showmax Premier League is the first standalone Premier League mobile streaming service to ever launch in Africa. It is made for mobile users and powered by SuperSport.

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SHOWMAX USERS DISSATISFIED

Showmax users have been downloading the new app on their phones and smart TVs but it has not been a smooth process for everyone, according to IOL. Many people are complaining that it is not compatible with their smart TVs. Many subscribers are completely confused. Despite the initial excitement surrounding its launch, the service has been met with a flood of complaints concerning its performance and usability.

Many Showmax users can’t find their shows. They are frustrated because their watchlists are gone and many took to social media to vent:

Customers can log onto the new Showmax with their existing usernames and passwords but they need to create profiles and watchlists from scratch.

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SHOWMAX’S RESPONSE

Stacey Venter, Showmax Senior Manager: PR and Communications, said that people should understand that it is a completely new platform and not an upgrade.

“Some devices, including older makes of smart TVs, are unable to support the enhanced streaming technology. Ahead of the migration process we shared the list of supported devices with Showmax subscribers,” she said. A possible solution she gave for users whose TVs are not compatible with the new technology, is to buy a Chromecast device that will enable them to continue streaming Showmax.

In response to users having to create new watchlists, Venter said: “this gives subscribers a blank slate opportunity to create new watchlists and retrain the algorithm from the beginning to ensure a better viewing experience”.

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