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The new Showmax is revolutionising streaming for Africa

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Showmax

As a result of MultiChoice’s partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky, Showmax is guaranteed an ongoing supply of the world’s most popular titles from the media giant’s renowned brands, including Universal Pictures, Focus Features, NBC

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, January 15, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Exciting new era driven by Premier League in your pocket, global partnerships for the world’s best international content, and a multi-million-Rand investment to increase African Originals by 150%; Affordability is key to Showmax’s ambition and goal to be number one streamer in Africa: Showmax Entertainment drops to R89 a month, Showmax Premier League mobile plan is R69 at launch, Showmax Entertainment Mobile offered for just R39 a month at launch, Bundled offers from R99; “Nobody understands Africa like we do.” Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group (https://www.MultiChoice.com/) CEO; New Showmax app available from 23 January 2024; New Showmax officially launches on 12 February 2024. 

The new Showmax has arrived to change the game for streaming in Africa.

Ten months after MultiChoice, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky announced a joint streaming vision for Africa, the new Showmax is here, featuring a refreshed brand and a massive content lineup, all delivered on a powerful new streaming platform.

At the heart of the new offering is the world’s first standalone Premier League plan for mobile, with all 380 games offered live on Showmax Premier League for just R69 a month.

In addition, there are two more Showmax plans available to customers in 44 African countries: Showmax Entertainment on mobile for an unbelievable R39 a month at launch, as well as the Showmax Entertainment plan, where the monthly price falls from R99 to R89 per month.

“There are currently just over 450 million smartphones in the hands of individuals across Africa … and more than 250 million avid football lovers on the continent,” says Marc Jury, CEO of Showmax. “Showmax Premier League is a game-changing product that gives individuals a ticket to the football they love, wherever they are, on the device they always have with them, at a price that’s impossible not to love.”

The new Showmax app will become available in app stores from 23 January 2024 onward, as part of a staggered migration process across 44 markets

“Africa is incredibly important to the Premier League and our clubs; 20% of TV audiences on any given matchday come from Africa,” says Richard Masters, Premier League CEO. “We are delighted with this Showmax initiative, which puts the Premier League in your pocket at a new price point so that millions more can enjoy our fantastic competition.”

Core to the success of Showmax’s streaming ambitions in Africa is a new technical platform that is robust and built to scale. With the launch of Showmax, the Peacock streaming platform will be active in more than 70 countries and is continually enhanced by the combined expertise of thousands of engineers. The world-class platform has brought millions of viewers popular events such as Super Bowl LVI, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final, the Olympics and WrestleMania 39. On 13 January, Peacock’s exclusive AFC Wild Card Game became the biggest live-streamed event in US history, reaching 27.6 million viewers and a record 16.3 million concurrent devices. In 2023, Comcast won a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award for its sports viewing experiences across Peacock, Sky and Xfinity.

“Peacock’s best-in-class technology platform will deliver a world-class streaming experience to Showmax audiences,” said Patrick Miceli, Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Direct-to-Consumer & International, NBCUniversal. “The Peacock platform was designed from day one to support both live and on-demand content, including the biggest live sporting events, so we look forward to extending that capability and reliability to the new Showmax.”

Alongside the Premier League, the new Showmax also opens the door to a thrilling entertainment universe spanning a wide range of stars and stories across multiple genres. With no fewer than 21 new Showmax Originals launching in February alone, there will be more than 1 300 hours of Showmax Originals produced in the coming year, representing a significant 150% increase in production output compared to the year before.

Complementing this powerful African content slate is an international offering that will give viewers cause for celebration. As a result of MultiChoice’s partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky, Showmax is guaranteed an ongoing supply of the world’s most popular titles from the media giant’s renowned brands, including Universal Pictures, Focus Features, NBC, Peacock, DreamWorks Animation and Telemundo. The stellar content lineup includes films like the latest instalment in the hit Fast franchise, Fast X, and Wes Anderson’s comedy-drama Asteroid City; procedural drama series such as NBC’s The Irrational starring Jesse L. Martin; and Peacock original comedy series Killing It, from the creative team behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starring Craig Robinson.

Showmax will also continue to draw from the likes of Paramount, including Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and Halo S2 in February, and HBO, with new seasons of House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, True Detective, and The White Lotus on the way.

Showmax’s content offering is further boosted by its focus on the African market and strengthened by the vast creative and commercial presence already established by MultiChoice. “Nobody understands Africa like we do. Showmax is putting the continent first with a powerful streaming service that will revolutionise streaming in Africa in 2024,” says Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO.

With the content and platform providing strong foundations for the new Showmax, ease of access for customers is another key business priority. As the first streaming service in Africa to make mobile downloads possible for offline viewing and the first to launch a mobile-only plan, Showmax has now delivered incredibly competitive new price points, with a growing network of payment options available to customers.

This payment ecosystem is facilitated by Moment, another MultiChoice joint venture partner. Working with more than 200 payment partners such as banks, mobile money providers, retailers and payment schemes, Moment is building the broadest pan-African payments network. In addition, DStv customers will continue to have the option of adding Showmax to their DStv bill each month and benefitting from significant discounts. Showmax will be announcing additional partnerships soon that will offer even more value to customers.

The new Showmax app will become available in app stores from 23 January 2024 onward, as part of a staggered migration process across 44 markets. This is an ongoing process that starts next week and will be completed in February this year. Existing Showmax customers will begin receiving communication with information on how to access the new app this week and by 12 February 2024 the new Showmax will be live in all markets.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MultiChoice Group

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Afreximbank Posts Robust Q1 2026 Results with 25% Growth in Net Income and Improved Profitability

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2 days ago

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May 22, 2026

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Afreximbank

The results demonstrate continued resilience, disciplined balance sheet management and strong deal execution despite a challenging global operating environment

The growth in net interest income and profitability demonstrates the strength of our operating model and the continued relevance of our mandate

CAIRO, Egypt, May 22, 2026/APO Group/ –African Export-Import Bank (“Afreximbank” or the “Bank”) (www.Afreximbank.com) and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) announced its results for the three months ended 31 March 2026. The results demonstrate continued resilience, disciplined balance sheet management and strong deal execution despite a challenging global operating environment.

 

The Group continued to expand its lending activities in Q1 2026, resulting in total credit exposure growing by 2% to reach a portfolio of US$42 billion, up from US$41 billion as of 31 December 2025. This performance reflects Afreximbank’s leading role as a Development Finance Institution (DFI) in financing trade and trade-enabling infrastructure, and its strategic contribution to economic resilience across Africa and the Caribbean.

Average loans and advances for Q1 2026 stood at US$32 billion, up 8% compared to the same period in the prior year, driving the recorded growth in interest income. The Group’s liquidity position remained strong, with cash and cash equivalents of US$5.6 billion, representing 14% of total assets, consistent with FY2025 and above the Bank’s strategic minimum.

Asset quality also remained strong, with the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio at 2.40%, broadly in line with 2.43% at FY2025 and below industry average.

Shareholders’ funds increased to US$8.6 billion at 31 March 2026, up from US$8.4 billion at FY2025, supported by internally generated capital of US$268.9 million and new equity investments received during the quarter, underscoring the Bank’s continued ability to mobilise capital from its shareholders in support of its growth and development mandate.

The Group delivered strong profitability during the quarter.  Notwithstanding declining benchmark rates, total interest income rose by 14% year-on-year to reach US$813.6 million, while net interest income increased by 24% to US$510.0 million, compared with US$411.2 million in the first quarter of 2025. The Group’s cost-to-income ratio remained contained at 19%, well within the Group’s strategic ceiling of 30%. As a result, Profit for the period increased to US$268.9 million, up from US$215.4 million in Q1 2025.

The Group continued to maintain a strong capital position, with a capital adequacy ratio of 23% as at 31 March 2026, in line with the Bank’s long-term capital management targets.

During the quarter, Afreximbank continued to demonstrate its counter-cyclical role in response to external shocks. In March 2026, the Bank launched a US$10 billion Gulf Crisis Response Programme to help member countries mitigate adverse spillover effects from the Gulf crisis. The facility is designed to support liquidity, stabilise trade and payments, and address supply-side disruptions, particularly in energy, tourism and aviation, fertilisers, food and other critical imports.

The Bank also continued to deploy targeted financing and advisory support to strengthen trade flows, industrial capacity and economic resilience across Africa and CARICOM. Regional integration received further momentum following South Africa’s ratification of the Bank’s Establishment Agreement in February 2026, bringing one of Africa’s largest and most diversified economies into the Bank’s membership and giving the Bank full continental coverage.

Highlights of the results for Afreximbank Group are shown below:

Financial Performance Metrics

Q1’2026

Q1’2025
Gross Income (US$ million)

874.1

784.9
Net Income (US$ million)

268.9

215.4
Return on average equity (ROAE)

13%

12%
Return on average assets (ROAA)

2.62%

2.38%
Cost-to-income ratio

19%

16%

 

Financial Position Metrics

Q1’2026

FY’2025
Total Assets (US$ billion)

41.7

42.3
Total Liabilities (US$ billion)

33.0

33.9
Shareholders’ Funds (US$ billion)

8.6

8.4
Non-performing loans ratio (NPL)

2.40%

2.43%
Cash/Total assets

14%

14%
Capital Adequacy ratio (Basel II)

23%

          23%

 

Mr. Denys Denya, Afreximbank’s Senior Executive Vice President, commented:

“Against a backdrop of continued global uncertainty, heightened geopolitical risks and tight financial conditions, the Group delivered a resilient first-quarter performance, underpinned by disciplined balance sheet management, sound asset quality and strong capital and liquidity buffers. The growth in net interest income and profitability demonstrates the strength of our operating model and the continued relevance of our mandate. Our swift launch of the US$10 billion Gulf Crisis Response Programme further underscores Afreximbank’s counter-cyclical role in supporting member countries during periods of disruption. We remain focused on stabilising trade flows, easing liquidity pressures and advancing the industrial and economic transformation of Africa and the Caribbean.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Via Licensing Alliance Expands Voice Codec Program with New Licensee, New Licensors, Publishes Comprehensive Pool Rate Structure

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2 days ago

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May 22, 2026

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Via Licensing Alliance

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 May 2026 – Via Licensing Alliance (Via) today announced continued momentum for its Voice Codec patent pool, including the addition of a new unnamed licensee and new licensors, NovaVoice Limited and Cordial IP, further growing the program’s patent stack and market penetration from its initial five, large global licensors.

The addition of the new licensee, unnamed at this time, reflects growing industry adoption of the collaborative licensing pathway Via’s Voice Codec program creates for accessing IP rights to critical voice technologies. This addition reflects a growing market uptake of advanced voice technologies, including EVS and IVAS, driven by rising demand as 5G and 5G-Advanced technologies are adopted worldwide.

Additionally, Via continues to prioritize transparency and has published its full rate structure for the Voice Codec pool, providing further clarity and predictability for implementers and to the broader market. For implementers, the full rate structure allows for complete visibility as they consider the appropriate royalty structure to choose from to meet their product level costs, evaluate future growth paths for their product lines, or plan their geographical expansion plan needs. This level of disclosure not only reduces uncertainty in licensing decisions but also enables more consistent benchmarking, reinforcing confidence in fair, market-aligned SEP licensing practices. The program’s royalty rates are listed on Via’s website at https://www.via-la.com/licensing-programs/voice-codec/#license-fees.

The addition of the new licensors indicates increased interest from patent holders in licensing their voice technology SEPs through highly efficient, aggregated licensing vehicles such as patent pools. Future growth in both the licensor list and the number of patents consolidated through the pool license will continue to enhance the value of the Voice Codec License for implementers. Via’s Voice Codec program licensors are listed here: https://www.via-la.com/licensing-programs/voice-codec/#licensors.

Via’s Voice Codec pool covers Enhanced Voice Services (EVS), which supports voice communications across more than one billion and growing active devices globally, as well as Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS), which will play a central role in next-generation voice and spatial audio applications.

“We are pleased to welcome these new entrants to our pool, which signal continued growth and momentum our Voice Codec program,” said Kevin Mack, President of Via Licensing Alliance. “This pool license offers strong value relative to other market options and represents the only collaborative licensing solution for EVS and IVAS technologies, making it a smart and efficient pathway for companies seeking to license critical voice capabilities.”

EVS remains a foundational technology for high-quality voice communications in 5G and 5G-Advanced networks, with adoption continuing to expand as 5G, 5G-Advanced and future network iterations reach global scale. As spatial audio and advanced voice technologies expand into 6G and a broader range of non-cellular devices, the importance of IVAS technologies is expected to increase, with Via’s pool offering an early and effective licensing pathway.

For more information about the Voice Codec patent pool, including information for prospective licensees, please visit https://www.via-la.com.

About Via Licensing Alliance:
Via Licensing Alliance is the collaborative licensing leader, dedicated to accelerating global technology adoption, fostering participation, and generating return on innovation with balanced licensing solutions for innovators and manufacturers of all sizes around the globe. Via has operated dozens of licensing programs for a variety of technologies. Via is an independently managed company owned by industry-leading participants with over 25 years of intellectual property licensing leadership. For more information about Via, please visit https://www.via-la.com.

 

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Joint statement welcoming the Republic of Togo’s announcement on Visa facilitation for African nationals

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2 days ago

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May 22, 2026

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Togo

The AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank commend the Government and people of the Republic of Togo for hosting Biashara Afrika 2026 and for their continued commitment to advancing Africa’s economic integration agenda

LOMÉ, Togo, May 21, 2026/APO Group/ –The AfCFTA Secretariat and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) welcome the announcement by the Government of the Republic of Togo, under the leadership of H.E. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Council of the Republic of Togo, regarding measures to facilitate visa-free entry for all nationals of African States holding valid passports, as announced by the Minister of Security on 18 May 2026.

The announcement was made in Lomé on the sidelines of Biashara Afrika 2026, the continent’s premier trade and business platform, which has brought together policymakers, private sector leaders, investors, and stakeholders from across Africa to advance dialogue on intra-African trade, investment, and regional integration.

Throughout the engagements, participants underscored the importance of facilitating the movement of African citizens, entrepreneurs, and investors as an important enabler of intra-African trade and economic cooperation. Against this backdrop, the announcement reflects the growing continental momentum towards strengthening connectivity and deepening African integration.

The AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank, to which Togo is a State Party and a Member State, envision a continent where goods, services, capital, and people move more freely across borders in support of an integrated African market. Measures that facilitate mobility and connectivity continue to contribute towards advancing the broader mandate of both institutions; the attainment of the aspirations of Agenda 2063.

The AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank commend the Government and people of the Republic of Togo for hosting Biashara Afrika 2026 and for their continued commitment to advancing Africa’s economic integration agenda.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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