The SVOD service ShowMax will cease operating in Poland from the end of January, barely two years after it made its debut.
News of its exit from the Polish market, the first it entered in Europe, was confirmed to Wirtualne Media by Magdalena Marzec, the PR manager of ShowMax Poland.
She added that the move was down to the strategy of MultiChoice Group (MCG), and indeed Naspers, to focus on Africa.
ShowMax Africa will remain part of MCG, while Naspers’s other investments in Poland will not be affected.
As previously reported by Broadband TV News, ShowMax Poland was launched in February 2017, with a strong focus on local TV shows and movies. It also had plans for original productions.
Although the service subsequently entered into partnerships with Play, T-Mobile and Vectra, it has faced strong competition from established local on demand services and Netflix, which launched in Poland in Q1 2016 as part of a major global expansion.
