Live news channels leave Showmax

Showmax has announced that live news has left the streaming service, with the last day for news streaming ending on 30 June.

Showmax subscribers were notified via email about the change.

“As lockdown is now easing and slowly we’re getting back to some kind of new normal, we’re going to be discontinuing the news service,” Showmax said in the notice.

The company says that access to these channels were a temporary measure in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to live news on Showmax aimed to give subscribers the ability to keep up-to-date with the latest developments.

However, Showmax added that if the circumstances change, they’ll consider “stepping in” again.

“We’ll, of course, keep an eye on developments and if the circumstances change we’ll do our best to step in again and play our part,” the company said.

COVID-19 cases in South Africa: 30 June

While lockdown regulations around the country have eased, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize did say another hard lockdown is possible during an interview on Radio 702.

South Africa saw a spike in COVID-19 cases at the end of June. As of 30 June, the country saw 6945 new confirmed cases since the previous day.

Cases in the country’s coronavirus hotspot, the Western Cape, continued to rise, but at a slower pace.

Meanwhile, Gauteng has seen sharp increases in case numbers over the past week.

As of 30 June, Gauteng had 42 881 confirmed cases and the Western Cape had 62 481. The total for the country stood at 151 209 cases and 2657 deaths.

Where to watch live news online

While options to live stream 24-hour news channels are limited in South Africa, there are a few ways you can catch live news.

You can stream live TV on the DSTV Now app, also owned by Showmax parent company MultiChoice.

In terms of free options, the eNCA Live YouTube channel occasionally streams news from important events.

The SABC News YouTube channel also publishes segments from their daily news coverage. Meanwhile, Newzroom Afrika does the same on its YouTube channel.

These news channels also regularly live stream presidential briefings on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feature image: Shereesa Moodley/Memeburn