Showmax’s expansion to Nigeria in 2019 was such a calculated move by MultiChoice. They adopted a measured, experimental approach to one of Africa’s most active film and television industries. Obviously, Nigeria had the volume, but what was lacking and still lacking is the structure of distribution that travelled, platforms that prioritised a range of local stories and a system that enabled talents to grow beyond the endless production supply. It came with wide industry anxiety that the streaming service is now shutting down due to increasing operational costs and revenue not matching.
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The streamer led their strategy with localisation for the most part. They came into the market with plans to build a catalogue that was tailored to this clime. Thus came the first Nigerian Showmax Original in 2021, Ghana Jollof, produced by Basketmouth and directed by young Nigerian director Diji Aderogba (About a Boy and His Muse).
Beyond that debut scripted narrative outing, what really defined and set Showmax apart was a run and catalogue of bold original titles like Diiche, Crime and Justice Lagos, AGU, Cheta’M, Princess on a Hill, Between Worlds. Rooted in genre storytelling for the small screen and a brief modern era of ‘prestige TV’ for Nollywood, these cult titles spanned the supernatural, procedural, legal, whodunnit, psychological, period epic, and time-travel genres, a variety that many viewers wouldn’t find anywhere else.
Alongside the genre titles were also space for wider audience shows like Flawsome, Wura, and their ever glamorous reality television shows, The Real Housewives of Lagos and its Abuja counterpart. Different formats and tones for different audiences, all part of a slate that showed what African entertainment could look like on a broad scale. But what those titles did, beyond filling a catalogue, was create a pipeline where actors could stretch into key roles, long-form storytelling, and something closer to sustained character work.
This can be traced most clearly to the hit series Wura. On paper, it’s an adaptation of South Africa’s telenovela The River, running over 200 episodes. In practice, it became a breakout machine. Scarlet Gomez, as the titular lead, became synonymous with it. The role, which earned her her first AMVCA nomination, pushed her into a level of mainstream recognition that Nollywood TV doesn’t always guarantee, even for central characters and within its faster, volume-driven production cycles.
Her co-stars Ray Adeka, Toluwani George, Martha Ehinome, and Iremide Adeoye found similar strides. In our Wura farewell piece, when the show initially ended, Martha Ehinome said the show “challenged and expanded my acting range,” describing it as a transformative journey. George, on an upward trajectory, has already starred in two major 2026 theatrical releases (Aba Blues, Love and New Notes) so far, attributed her social media growth in the first season to WURA, revealing to us that “professionally, it blew up my socials.”
Uzoamaka Onuoha, the eponymous lead of Diiche, is another actor whose career saw a boost after starring in Showmax’s first Nigerian limited series in 2022. At the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, the series earned six nominations across major categories, including Best TV Series, Best Writer, Best Director, and several technical fields. Newer titles, Cheta M, which premiered in 2024, went on to win Best Scripted Series and Best Writing at the AMVCAs, while Princess on a Hill, released later that year, secured five nominations in 2025, including Best Scripted Series, Best Writing, and acting nominations for Bimbo Manuel and Efa Iwara.
A slightly overlooked benefit of the Showmax platform was how it served as a bridge between streaming and traditional television. Because Showmax worked within the MultiChoice ecosystem, Showmax originals weren’t just confined to streaming, they eventually aired on Africa Magic channels (and vice versa), which meant access of those prestige titles to a new audience on cable. As we previously wrote in a story about the state of distribution in Nollywood in 2026, this meant longer airtime and more visibility, which DStv Stream plans to preserve.
Structurally, the platform was solving another problem of accessing international shows legally. Through MultiChoice’s long-standing licensing agreements with Warner Bros. Discovery, Showmax was able to carry premium international titles, including same-week episodic releases of HBO titles such as Game of Thrones, Industry, IT: Welcome to Derry, and Succession, for African audiences.
Access to these shows had previously been limited or dependent on piracy. Showmax offered a legal, localised alternative, one subscription that combined African originals with global titles. It also worked in the other direction. Because Showmax operated across multiple African markets, Nigerian series could travel beyond their immediate audience within the African markets, building a wider and more connected viewership across the continent.
For filmmakers working within that system, however, the question is less about what Showmax was, and more about what must remain. Showrunner James Omokwe, whose credits include Diiche and Cheta’M, pushes back on the idea of a vacuum. In his view, Showmax has not vanished so much as shifted form within DStv Stream, and what matters now is whether that same commitment to “well-crafted, authentic African stories for a global audience” is sustained. More crucially, he points to the commissioning model as the true legacy worth preserving, a system that absorbs financial risk and enables ambitious storytelling. Without it, he argues, “you lose the engine.”
Even as Showmax tried to scale (through its 2023 partnership with NBCUniversal and Sky and its 2024 relaunch powered by Peacock technology), the platform struggled to sustain its business model. After Canal+ acquired MultiChoice in 2025, the decision followed to shut it down, with the Showmax service officially ending on April 30, 2026.
The company is helping eligible customers transition to DStv Stream following the shutdown. Eligible subscribers in Nigeria will receive a free trial on the Compact package until May 31, after which they can continue at a discounted rate of 6,500 naira for 12 months, provided their subscription remains active.
Already offering live TV, international series and films, kids’ programming, and live sports via SuperSport, DStv Stream now becomes an even more expansive destination with the addition of Showmax Originals, bringing together global content, local storytelling, and real-time viewing in one place. Showmax subscriptions will not migrate automatically, so customers who wish to continue watching will need to follow a simple sign-up process shared via email and create a new profile, a process that takes less than five minutes.
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