MultiChoice-owned streaming service Showmax has confirmed that it plans to broadcast the 2022 Fifa World Cup to subscribers in 4K resolution.
Showmax will stream all 64 Fifa World Cup games from Qatar in 4K to subscribers to its Pro tier. If successful, the platform may roll out 4K to other content, no no plans have been firmed up yet.
The games will be provided to Showmax Pro by SuperSport. TechCentral first reported about the plans by MultiChoice to launch 4K on both Showmax and DStv in November last year.
“The 4K stream will have up to 50 frames per second, double the standard 25fps we currently offer,” said Yolisa Phahle, CEO of Connected Video at MultiChoice, in a statement on Tuesday.
The Showmax Pro plan allows subscribers to register up to five devices – including smart TVs, media boxes and mobile devices – and stream simultaneously on two devices. Showmax Pro also offers a mobile-only plan that allows viewers to stream on a single mobile device.
The 4K streams will use around 90MB/minute of data, but Phahle said Showmax subscribers will be able to set the quality of their streams to minimise data consumption if needed.
Subscribers can watch in 4K on compatible smart TVs, Android or Apple set-top boxes, as well as on the DStv Streama media box and on the DStv Explora Ultra decoder.
The World Cup, including the 4K streams, will be available in 50 markets in Africa, including South Africa, but it will not be made available on the company’s diaspora service.
There are no immediate plans to offer 4K streams of other sports events, such the English Premier League, on Showmax. “We’ll be analysing the impact of 4K usage from the Fifa World Cup Qatar before confirming any additional roll-outs,” said Phahle.
