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Streaming

  • BBM launches DiscoverTV streaming media service for Africa

    By on 4 May, 2017

    Messaging service BBM now has its own streaming video service. Dubbed DiscoverTV, the service aims to provide Africa's 1.1-billion smartphone users with "a wide variety of award-winning short form shows, selected from a diverse range of mobile movies, channels, cartoons and documentaries", the company explains in a press release. This content is available from within the BBM mobile app's Discover menu. Alongside the content, the payment payment methods are also better suited to the continent's mobile-first market. Users pay R1 per day for "unlimited access" to their favourite channel, but can use the service for free for the first month. BBM DiscoverTV is the...

  • 4 Netflix originals coming to South Africa this May

    By on 26 April, 2017

    We're five months into 2017, and time has shown no sign of just, like, slowing down for a little bit. As the great @horse_ebooks once said: "Everything happens so much." But luckily for us, "everything" includes the good. And that means that Netflix happens so much, too. So why not forget about the passing of time this month by binging the latest Netflix originals? 5 May: Sense8 From the creators of The Matrix, Sense8 tells the story of eight strangers from around the globe who develop an intense internal connection. On 5 May, the cluster is back for a second season, ready to explore the themes of love,...

  • From 100m users to Adam Sandler love, here’s Netflix’s big numbers

    By on 18 April, 2017

    Netflix has seen some solid growth since its massive expansion, and now, the company is on track to pass the 100 million user mark in the second quarter of 2017. The streaming colossus saw its users jump from 81.5 million in Q1 2016 to 98.75 million in Q1 2017, its investor report showed. To be fair, the number includes both paid and non-paid users. "We expect to cross the 100 million member mark this weekend. It's a good start," the service added. It's also worth noting that the company's international user additions saw a notable year-on-year drop. "International net additions decreased 22% year over...

  • ShowMax secures streaming rights to The Young Pope

    By on 13 April, 2017

    It's Easter this weekend, and ShowMax's timing is seemingly impeccable. The streaming service has this week announced that it has acquired exclusive rights to The Young Pope, the HBO and Sky hit show that made quite a splash late last year. "In an African first, Showmax has secured the rights to the critically acclaimed joint HBO and Sky production The Young Pope starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton. The controversial series, which portrays the first American Pope as simultaneously hip, mysterious and ultra-conservative, was directed by Oscar-winner Paolo Sorrentinom," the company notes. The show's first season will hit the service on 13...

  • 5 Netflix exclusives coming to South Africa this April

    By on 30 March, 2017

    New month, new you, same confusing Netflix website. There's a lot of fresh content coming to the streaming service in April, but it's a cumbersome and confusing process trying to figure out which are going to be available in South Africa and which aren't. Worry not: we here at Memeburn know how simple all aspects of Netflix binging should be, so here's a list of the best exclusives coming to your devices this month. 7 April: The Get Down The second season of the critically acclaimed The Get Down is premiering the first Friday of April and will be available in Ultra HD 4K for...

  • ShowMax wants to give you free Vodacom data, but…

    By on 27 March, 2017

    South African streaming video service ShowMax is now giving out free data, thanks to a new partnership with Vodacom. The company has announced that users who subscribe to the service from 27 March, will be given 1GB of data for three months. "In addition, existing customers who have already signed up through Vodacom will also receive this data," the company states in a press release. The ShowMax-Vodacom data will be awarded as 1GB chunks across three months "Internet TV is taking off -- it makes so much sense if you’ve got a smartphone or tablet to stream and download TV shows and movies...

  • Netflix replaces star ratings with thumbs, because we’re simple creatures

    By on 17 March, 2017

    I know the biggest issue I've ever faced while binging Black Mirror was extending my brain too far when considering if the episode in which a prime minister is asked to have intimate relations with a pig should get a four or five star rating. I don't use Netflix to think -- and they've finally acknowledged it. The streaming service has announced that it's ditching the star rating system in favour of a YouTube-like thumbs up or down button. As of April, when you're pouring the last of your chips into your mouth, you only need to acknowledge your base emotional response. Nuance be damned. According...

  • YouTube is bringing live TV channels to all devices

    By on 1 March, 2017

    YouTube announced yesterday that its live TV service, set to take on cable, was officially a-go. "It's live TV designed for the YouTube generation -- those who want to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, without commitments," reads the blog post. Working with networks and affiliate partners, YouTube has found a way to live stream from channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN -- meaning that viewers will be able to watch live as soon as a new episode of shows like Empire, Scandal and The Big Bang Theory airs.  "Christian Oestlien, Product Management Director, recently used YouTube TV to watch 'The Oscars' live on...

  • 5 Netflix exclusives coming to South Africa this March

    By on 1 March, 2017

    With March comes the inevitable "can you believe it's March already?" small talk, and sometimes it's best just to avoid social interactions all together. So if you're looking to steer clear of conversations about the unstoppable marching of time towards an end we cannot begin to understand, Netflix has you sorted. We've sifted through the Netflix website to find you the best content coming straight to South African devices this month. Still living in February? Catch up with last month's roundup right here. 3 March: Greenleaf The month kicks off as Greenleaf's 13-episode first season arrives to the service. From executive producers Oprah Winfrey (who also...

  • Here’s how to request TV shows, movies for Netflix [Update]

    By on 22 February, 2017

    Netflix is arguably the most popular subscription-based video streaming service around, owing to its substantial library and homegrown content. Not all locales are as well-stocked with content though, forcing many to use region-hopping services. But what if your desired content isn't on Netflix at all? You might not know this, but the streaming service actually has a page that lets you request movies and TV shows to be added to the platform. What happens after you've hit the "submit suggestion" button, then? "If you've already submitted a request for a title, you can sit back and relax -- we've received your feedback and there's...

  • ShowMax expands to Europe, with Poland its first destination

    By on 15 February, 2017

    Africa seems to be just a tad too small for growing South African streaming company ShowMax. The Naspers-owned video-on-demand company today announced that it has infiltrated Europe, with a new service launched in Poland. This is ShowMax's first big foray into Europe, after it initially offered Afrikaans channel KykNET to Europeans, North Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders. To be fair, though, ShowMax's Polish move is a substantial jump from its KykNET offering. "This is a big deal for us, especially coming just 18 months after we launched ShowMax," explains ShowMax head John Kotsaftis. "With more than seven million people paying for online...

  • Netflix knows what you did when your partner was away

    By on 15 February, 2017

    Valentine's Day is over and it's time to come clean. You spent the day spoiling your partner, but they deserve to know the truth. You cheated. I know it. You know it. Netflix knows it. You promised them you wouldn't watch that series without them, and then you went and did it anyway. At least you're not alone. Netflix has released a survey that compiles how often people cheat, why they cheat, and with which shows. If you're in Brazil and you haven't Netflix-cheated, then I have some bad news for you: your partner probably has. 58% of Brazilians surveyed reported that they had cheated...

  • Watch the controversial Netflix trailers shaking the web

    By on 9 February, 2017

    Netflix is no stranger to going against the grain. They take stories that other studios wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole and turn them into cult phenomena. But could they take that autonomy a step too far? Yesterday, Netflix released multiple teasers and date announcements on its YouTube channel -- sparking outrage by some on Twitter. The teaser for Dear White People stars a young college student detailing what is acceptable costuming for white people on Halloween, removing herself (and blackness) from the list. Right-wing Americans took to Twitter to express their anger, and called for all to cancel their Netflix...

  • ShowMax Select is now available in South Africa

    By on 9 February, 2017

    ShowMax, on the back of its SEACOM announcement last month, has today revealed a new partnership with Vodacom. The company, alongside the telecoms giant, is bringing its mobile-centric ShowMax Select service to South Africa. The service, which focused on distributing local content to mobile devices, debuted in Kenya last year. "Available exclusively to Vodacom customers on an add-to-bill basis, ShowMax Select is a new internet TV service designed for use on smartphones and tablets," the company explains in a press release. ShowMax Select is the company's mobile-first, hyper-local streaming offering that debuted in Kenya in 2016 The service will be charged as an...

  • 5 Netflix exclusives coming to South Africa this February

    By on 27 January, 2017

    Netflix doesn't stand still when it comes to content, with new movies and TV shows hitting the streaming service all the time (content also leaves the service, but that's another article). There are services telling us what to expect for next month, but finding SA-bound content can be tricky. So with that in mind, we sifted through the Netflix website to find exclusive content SA viewers can expect next month. 3 February: Santa Clarita Diet The first week of February sees 10-episode series Santa Clarita Diet making its way to the service, starring Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore. "Joel (Timothy Olyphant) and Sheila (Drew Barrymore)...