Jack Devnarain and Mandla N discuss life after Showmax

SHOWMAX subscribers were met with a major plot twist last week when they were told that the popular streaming service is shutting down in the near future.

- ALYSSIA BIRJALAL

FILM producer Mandla Ndimande. | Instagram

(Instagram)

The decision comes on the back of French media titan Canal+ acquiring MultiChoice.

The company explained that the move aligns with their goal to launch a massive, in-house streaming platform designed to satisfy both “African and international consumers”.

While the business move makes sense for the giants at the top, local stars and creators are watching closely to see what happens next.

Jack Devnarain, actor and chairperson of the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA), isn’t sugarcoating the situation.

He recently noted on the news platform Newz-room Afrika that while global shifts are inevitable, they serve as a reminder of how vulnerable the local industry is.

“The reality of the industry and certainly the global industry is that there are changes. South Africa has to get used to changes in the same way Canal+ came in and took over one of the big South African brands in MultiChoice.