by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice’s video streaming service has added what it calls a 50MB “Max Data Saving” mode – something it says will only use 50 megabytes (MB) per hour.

“This is currently available within the iOS mobile version of the Showmax app and will be rolled out to Android app users soon,” Showmax says.

Until now Showmax content consumed roughly around 300MB per hour, with up to 1.4GB for the highest possible video quality stream. its data saving mode has roughly been using 100MB.

“Showmax is designed for Africa: a mobile-first continent where the cost of data remains a barrier to streaming,” says Barry Dubovsky, MultiChoice connected video chief operating officer (COO).

“Showmax was the first streaming service in Africa to make mobile downloads possible for offline viewing and the first to launch a mobile-only plan, so we want to keep tailor-making Showmax for African realities.”