Why More People Are Opting For Showmax As Choice Streaming Platform Amid Rising Cost

Amid the rising cost of living, with many households cutting non-essential expenses, checks reveal that Showmax has become the preferred streaming platform in Nigeria.

Findings indicate that this new rave is achieving its feat through multiple intentional steps centered on affordability.

Showmax’s “Shikini Season”, a limited-time deal on its general entertainment mobile and all-device plans, has pulled the rug from under its main competitors.

The deal offers general entertainment mobile at a reduced price of ₦1,000 (down from ₦1,600) per month and ₦2,000 for all devices (instead of ₦3,500). This is compared to the pricing of its main competitors: Netflix: Basic plan – ₦3,600, Standard plan – ₦5,000, Premium plan – ₦6,300 and Amazon Prime Video which has Regular plan – ₦2,300 per month and a MTN-exclusive mobile plan – ₦800 per month

Showmax’s budget-friendly option is further boosted by its very affordable data usage, especially for mobile users.

The streaming platform has bundle partnerships with Nigerian telecom firms like MTN, Airtel, and Glo, offering discounted data plans to reduce costs for customers.

Amazon Prime Video also taps into this advantage but in a more constrained manner, with an exclusive deal with MTN. Netflix, the other contender for market leadership, offers no such advantage, relying instead on data-consuming 4K high-resolution video.

Here’s a comparison of the average data usage per hour for streaming movies on Netflix, Showmax, and Amazon Prime Video, based on different video quality settings:

The differences show that while Amazon Prime Video consumes slightly less data than Netflix, Showmax is the most data-efficient, particularly for mobile streaming, since it is optimized for African networks.

“Data usage is considered one of the major expenses in using streaming platforms, and Showmax’s bundle deals with telecom operators—particularly the big three—help subscribers reduce costs with discounted data plans. This is considered a big deal, along with the reduced subscription fees, which are bringing more people on board,” according to available information.

Further findings reveal that Showmax’s offer of live football coverage—including the Premier League and Champions League—is also proving to be a major advantage. Prime Video was the only challenger in this regard, but it lost out after failing to renew its 20-game-per-season deal with the Premier League.

Prime Video is working on recovering lost ground with bundled offerings that include members Benefit and a growing catalogue of originals.

However, the streaming platform race is not an all-out Showmax win. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have an edge over Showmax in user support.

Netflix and Prime Video allow multiple user profiles Showmax, in contrast, allows only a single user

“The talk amid rising costs, however, is that you must be able to comfortably afford both platform and data subscriptions before you can even think of sharing accounts,” a streaming enthusiast disclosed.

Although all three top streaming platforms are ad-free, allow offline downloads, and offer a huge selection of global movies and series, Showmax holds the ace in local content, with more Nollywood movies and exclusive African reality shows like BBNaija Extras and The Real Housewives of Lagos.

“While you can’t argue that Netflix possesses a massive array of international content, Showmax’s deal with HBO has provided a strong counter,” a follower of events pointed out.

But Netflix stands apart in widespread device compatibility and personalized recommendations added checks revealed.

Despite this, findings indicate as streaming platforms compete for dominance in Nigeria, Showmax’s strategy of affordability, low data consumption, and a strong local content lineup and deals with entertainment giants like HBO is proving to be a game-changer.