18 video streaming services in South Africa

South African households have many video streaming services offering millions of hours of movies and TV series on demand, including several free options.

In the past decade, Internet broadband connectivity and affordability have improved substantially, making these platforms more accessible for many South Africans.

Both fixed and mobile broadband providers have frequently told MyBroadband that video streaming apps are their biggest data traffic drivers.

PwC Africa’s Entertainment and Media Outlook 2024-2028 estimated there were roughly 3.4 million video streaming subscribers in South Africa by 2023, a roughly 150% increase from five years earlier.

It anticipated that this would grow by another 1.6 million subscribers over the next five years, exceeding five million in 2028.

Between 2019 and 2023, entertainment and media revenue in video streaming in South Africa increased from R1.8 billion to R4.5 billion.

This is expected to grow to roughly R6.8 billion by 2028, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5%. By comparison, traditional TV’s revenue is expected to struggle at a CAGR of roughly 0.4%.

By 2023, nearly half of all South African households had access to fixed broadband, enabling liberal use of data-intensive services like video streaming.

However, PwC believes that 4G and 5G expansion will be the biggest role players in bringing more viewers to streaming in the next few years.

The expansion of fibre networks into lower-income neighbourhoods could also significantly impact video streaming uptake in South Africa.

With at least 18 different video streaming services currently operational in South Africa, people connecting to the Internet for the first time have a significant selection of platforms to choose from.

MyBroadband assembled a list of major video streaming services available in South Africa.

In addition to major international platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+, there are also numerous local options.

MultiChoice’s Showmax is not only the biggest local service but also one of the country’s oldest subscription video streaming services.

While neither Netflix nor Showmax have shared subscriber figures, multiple market research firms have estimated these are the two leading platforms in the country.

Although they do not offer free tiers, the two services have affordable mobile-only subscriptions to cater for those customers with smaller budgets or those who primarily access the Internet on a smartphone.

Two free options — eMedia’s eVOD and SABC+ — have also recently recorded substantial uptake. eVOD recently reported over 1.13 million registrations, while SABC+ is quickly closing in a million as well.

There are many more streaming platforms to choose from, some offering highly specialised content for specific audiences and tastes.

The table below provides a summary of 18 prominent video streaming services available in South Africa in April 2025.