Naspers ‘preps international SVOD service’

Africa-based media giant Naspers is going to roll out its Showmax SVOD service in a raft of new territories, according to numerous reports.

Naspers, which runs the Multichoice African pay TV platform, announced its much-anticipated Showmax streaming service in August.

At the launch, Showmax management said it was being “unashamedly ambitious” and had big plans for the service.

Various reports suggest that Naspers will now move beyond its domestic South African market and into Europe, the US and parts of Asia.

The same reports suggest a deal with Samsung is in place to include a Showmax app in its connected TVs.

In South Africa, Showmax launched with a 10,000-hour offering that included programming from HBO and the Hollywood studios.

Naspers and Samsung have yet to comment.