It’s that time of the year when the football season is, once again, upon us. Seeing as it is that DStv just jacked up its prices for the umpteenth time, it’s obvious in our best interests in a squeezed economy to shop around for options. The number one option you are likely to encounter or have highly recommended as a Kenyan (besides, obviously, illegal streaming options) is one that’s not very far from the DStv stable: Showmax Pro.
Unveiled at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Showmax Pro provided a nice online-only alternative to DStv which, at the time, still had subscriptions tied to purchases of physical subscriptions and the equipment that came with them (read: decoders). Of course, it’s 2023 and DStv has since moved with the times and now offers DStv online (they’re calling it DStv Stream), the same same packages but devoid of the hustle of getting a decoder just so that one can log in via web or app on any of the multiple platforms the app is available.
Having been one of the Showmax Pro subscribers early on, after a 3-year absence, I was eager to give the service another chance. When I tried it in 2020, it disappointed me in those early days with lots of stutters that I hear have since been fixed. It also came a tad short of my liking because of the limited live sporting content offered, something that has barely changed, 3 years later. You still can’t watch Verstappen cruise to yet another victory or witness a glorious night of European football when the Champions League comes back but, hey, at least you can watch the English Premier League every week without stretching a lot, right?
Well, it appears, that’s not as straightforward if you are an existing Showmax subscriber, like I am. It’s quite easy if you have no existing ties to Showmax. Just go to the website, sign up, pay and you’re on your way. The process is the same if you’re an existing Showmax subscriber, subscribed to any of the other tiers that isn’t Showmax Pro. What varies is that you are still expected to pay the full Kshs 2,100 that Showmax offers the Pro tier at. No exceptions.
Now, let me dial you back a little. Do you use any service that has a “pro” tier? You know, a premium tier and a standard tier or something of that sort? What’s your experience moving across tiers? I thought so, too.
Here’s my case:
I’m a sucker for whatever Showmax has on offer so I’ve kept my Showmax subscription for as long as I’ve been able to. Every time when they have an offer either solo or in conjunction with an entity like Safaricom you can trust me to quickly jump on it and get a year or a half year’s subscription. When there’s no offer available, I will still (shingo upande) part with the entire Kshs 760 just to relive my college days watching The Wire. It’s worth it.
With my card linked to my Showmax account, that means that they come for their money every month, as long as there’s money on that card. They came for their money on Friday, August 4th, as they do every other month for subscribers like yours truly. Then Saturday came and I remembered that there was a juicy clash between Manchester City and Arsenal that I could not afford to not watch. With DStv prices up, I wasn’t down for parting with Kshs 3,500 that easily to pay for DStv Compact. Kshs 2,100 on Showmax Pro (since internet is not a problem to me) seemed like a nice bargain and a good way to reconnect with a product/service I haven’t used in ages so, why not?
Here’s where things got interesting: while I have no qualms paying the Kshs 2,100 for Showmax Pro, does it make sense to you to pay Kshs 2,100 on top of the Kshs 760 you paid just a day earlier to get just a few live sports streams?
Showmax Pro is just the normal Showmax but with live broadcasts – from sports and news channels. There are also some music channels.
As such, doesn’t it make sense that it should be possible to just move from one Showmax package to another? One subscription tier to the next?
I asked the service’s customer representatives on Twitter and, of course, the answer came in very clear (never mind that it was over a day later – who does customer service like that?): NO, that’s not possible.
My grievance is with the move from the standard Showmax subscription tier to Showmax Pro but I am here wondering, what’s been the experience for those on other tiers? Can you move from Showmax Mobile to Showmax Mobile Pro without having to pay the full Kshs 1,050 that Showmax asks for and with any regard for your existing subscription? Is it possible to move from Showmax Mobile to the standard Showmax and just pay, on a prorated basis, the difference due to Showmax?
I mean, that’s what we do on DStv (a Showmax sibling), right? I can move from Compact to Compact Plus at any time and just pay the prorated difference. Heck, Showmax’s main rival in our market, Netflix, will let you access the higher subscription tier but only take their money the next time your old subscription is due. So, why can’t Showmax do the same? Has anyone at Showmax really thought this through and concluded that this is the best user experience they can offer? Do they use any subscription services themselves? Do they work like this? I really hope this is one of the changes that their switch to a new platform powered by Peacock addresses because it doesn’t make any sense currently.
