Airtel Money has integrated MultiChoice Group’s Showmax into its native payment platform, targeting Kenya’s rapidly digitising entertainment sector as the festive season drives a surge in mobile data and content consumption.
The deal allows Airtel Kenya’s subscribers to pay for streaming packages, including the high-growth Premier League Mobile tier, directly from their mobile money wallets.
While the move simplifies the user journey by removing the need for credit cards or external bank transfers, it also signals a strategic push by Airtel to capture a larger share of the “stickier” recurring revenue in digital subscriptions.
The partnership comes as mobile money providers in East Africa pivot from simple peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers toward becoming comprehensive financial ecosystems. For Airtel, the integration is a direct play to challenge Safaricom’s M-PESA dominance by deepening its utility in the “everyday life” of consumers.
For MultiChoice, the logic is equally defensive. As it faces stiff competition from Netflix, the South African broadcaster is betting on local payment parity. In a market where credit card penetration remains low, seamless mobile money integration is often the deciding factor in reducing churn and increasing subscriber acquisition.
The technical integration enables instant activation and renewal, addressing a longstanding pain point in the Kenyan market, where manual payment reconciliation often led to service interruptions.
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Target segments: The focus is heavily weighted toward mobile-only consumers, with specific support for Showmax’s mobile-centric sports and entertainment tiers.
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Market timing: Launched ahead of the December holiday period, the move leverages the seasonal spike in domestic consumption and home-bound viewership.
“The move reflects a continued push to simplify digital lifestyles,” said Anne Kinuthia-Otieno, Managing Director of Airtel Money Kenya. The collaboration, she added, is designed to meet the “evolving needs” of a consumer base that increasingly demands one-click financial solutions.
Kenya remains a global leader in mobile finance, but the sector is facing increased regulatory scrutiny and a push for interoperability.
Airtel is attempting to build a moat around its transaction volumes by locking in exclusive or seamless “direct-from-wallet” experiences with major content providers like Showmax.
MultiChoice Kenya’s Managing Director, Nzola Miranda, noted that the partnership “removes payment barriers” for local and international content, specifically citing the Showmax Premier League Mobile offering—a critical product for the football-obsessed Kenyan demographic.
