kykNET spreads its wings with ShowMax


Details

Rebecca Hawkes

| 14 December 2015




M-Net’s Afrikaans channel kykNET is expanding its global reach through a tie-up with Naspers’ video-on-demand (VOD) service ShowMax.



Viewers in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada can now watch kykNET programming on ShowMax, with almost 6,000 hours of Afrikaans TV and film content available for US$8.99 per month.

The deal marks the first foray outside South Africa’s borders for the ShowMax VOD service, which launched in August 2015.

ShowMax will make the latest episodes of weekly magazine shows such as Kwęla, Robinson Regstreeks, and weekday soaps Binnelanders and Villa Rosa available for viewing within 24 hours after their broadcast on M-Net’s kykNET, carried on the Multichoice pay-TV platform DStv.

“There are vast numbers of Afrikaans speakers who live outside Africa and still want to keep in touch with their culture and language,” said Jeanne van Zyl, head of kykNET Internasionaal.

“TV shows and movies are a great way to keep the Afrikaans link alive and help make sure that young and old alike don't lose contact with their roots ... Because we're adding content within 24 hours of it airing in South Africa, it also means that being away from home doesn't mean being out of date,” said Van Zyl.

Karen Meiring, director of M-Net's Afrikaans channels, added: “No matter where South African expatriates end up on the globe, they remain fiercely loyal to, and supportive of, their heritage. We're thrilled to be able to work with ShowMax to help keep that link alive and deliver the best Afrikaans content, fresh from home, to fans across the globe”.