Afree TV went live on 30 April 2026, the same week Showmax officially shut down. It's a free, ad-supported (FAST) streaming platform powered by Sentech's Freevision Play, focused on showcasing African content globally. Early broadcasters include Sportscast Africa (SA), Hillbrow FM (SA), LN247 (Nigeria), Homebase TV (Ghana) and a handful more from across the continent.
Free streaming services in SA
The FAST market (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) is projected to hit R100m+ in SA by 2027 (Statista), and it's growing fast. With Showmax dead and Canal+ rationalising MultiChoice's portfolio, free streaming is suddenly looking less like a budget option and more like a mainstream play. Afree TV joins a surprisingly long list of free streaming services already running in SA:
Afree TV: new, African-focused FAST platform
Freevision Play: Sentech's underlying OTT service
SABC+: government broadcaster's free tier
Openview: eMedia's free-to-air channels online
YouTube: free with ads, including full movies
Plex: FAST channels and free movies
Kodi: open-source streaming hub
Twitch: gaming and live entertainment
Tubi and Pluto TV remain geo-blocked in SA, so they're VPN-only for now.
How do they all make a living?
Lekker to see free options multiplying, but somebody has to pay. The answer is ads; FAST platforms slot commercial breaks into linear channels and on-demand shows, and broadcasters get a cut of the ad revenue based on viewership. The pitch to broadcasters is scale without infrastructure costs; the pitch to viewers is "free."
Whether SA ad budgets can sustain a dozen players in this space is the real question, especially when YouTube already eats the lion's share of digital video ad spend locally.
You might also like: Get the insights behind the Showmax failure, get front-row seats to SA's satellite startup race and see SA's R117m English football play.
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