10 Things You Need to Know About Showmax

Content has never been so easy to access. This is mostly thanks to the internet and in the case of Kenya, having the fasted mobile internet in Africa and ranked 14th globally ahead of USA and Sweden. You can read blogs, watch videos on platforms like YouTube and listen to podcasts. This easy access to content has seen the creation of platforms to meet consumption including Netflix and ShowMax. ShowMax  is a video on demand service that is currently in 36 African countries and made its debut in Kenya in October 2016 and has since been growing its customer base with an introduction of lots of new content.

Here are 10 things you need to know about ShowMax.

1.  Choice between 2 subcription packages

ShowMax offers Kenyans 2 monthly subscription pakages: Select for Ksh 330 per month and Premium at Ksh 880. Kenya was the first country to have the option of 2 packages.

2. Diverse content

The content is categorized according to genres and there’s plenty of movies and series to choose from. I have to admit that some of it is dated but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as rewatching old episodes of your favourite TV shows or movies.

3. Access to Kenyan content

Both the Select and Premium packages have Kenyan content including real Househelps of Kawangware, Kona, Churchill Live and Auntie Boss. this is especially great if you want to watch older episodes.

4. Ease of payment

I love that ShowMax partnered with Safaricom to make it convenient to pay for the service using MPesa. A lot of international service providers take some time before providing local payment methods so it’s a win that ShowMax was ready from the get go. You can also pick whether you want to pay monthly, quarterly or every 6 months.

5. You can download and watch your favourite shows offline

Streaming can be expensive and it’s easier to download a couple of episodes (especially if you can find WiFi) at a time and watch them over time. ShowMax allows you to download up to 25 episodes of a series or movies at a time. This is so convenient for those days in traffic or when travelling and you need something to watch without having to use up your data. Do note that downloaded content is valid for 30 days.

6. Data saving options

You can pick quality of streaming through the bandwidth capping setting and save on data costs if you pick the lowest quality. You can even estimate your weekly and monthly data use through the ShowMax bandwidth calculator.

7. You can create profiles

This is great for households especially as you can pay for one account and then create profiles for everyone. This means then that everyone gets to watch their choice of content without having to fight over who is picking what to watch.

8. You can register up to 5 devices

You don’t have to worry that you can only watch the content only on your computer or your phone. You can register your phone(s), tab and computer so that you can access your content from whichever device you have anytime. Also, other people in your household can have access to your account and watch their own content on their devices. This works only on Premium though.

9. There is a trial period

Just in case you need some convincing, ShowMax offers a 14 day trial period. To access this though you must enter your credit card or Paypal information.

10. Availablity of parental control

You can create a profile for your kids and activate parental control to make sure they watch only content you approve. There’s plenty to choose from when it comes to kids’content so they’ll enjoy ShowMax.