Following a series of high-profile exits from South Africa in recent months—including Shell, BNP Paribas and Rolex—international streaming service BritBox is reportedly next to call it quits.The service was joint venture between BBC Studios and ITV, before the former bought out the latter in a $322 million deal in February, according toThe service launched in South Africa in August 2021. BritBox SA did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
Shell, meanwhile, plans to sell its downstream business in South Africa, which includes 600 petrol stations in the country, as part of a broader restructuring. The group will still, however, operate its upstream business across the country. Showmax, which already operates in 50 African countries, re-launched its service in January with Comcast’s backing and technology.
DStv is different, with MultiChoice reporting for the six months ended 30 September 2023 that its South African customers were 5% lower at 8.6 million.