There was a time when watching every single English Premier League match in Zimbabwe meant either hunting for a sketchy stream that cuts off every 5 minutes or so, squeezing into a packed sports bar, or forking out more than you’d like for DStv. That time is gone.
Showmax now lets you legally stream all 380 Premier League matches and it’s actually affordable. It’s been around for years now, but many still don’t realise just how within reach it is.
Let’s break it down.
The Numbers That Matter
Showmax’s EPL-only Mobile Plan costs just $4/month. No movies, no series, just football.
Now, add mobile data to that. Using the NetOne Mo’Gigs bundle, you have a few options:
- 5GB for $7 → Enough for ~10 games at Basic (360p) quality
- 10GB for $10 → Enough for ~20 games at the same quality
Econet has a similar 10GB deal at $13, but since 2GB is locked to off-peak hours (when there are rarely any matches), we’ll treat Econet’s bundle as effectively 8GB for $13. The $9 for 5GB deal they have is not worth it.
So, depending on how many games you want to watch:
- Regular watcher (~10 games, Basic quality) → $4 Showmax + $7 data = $11/month
- Hardcore fan (20+ games, Basic quality) → $4 Showmax + $10 data = $14/month
If you’re on Econet, the 8GB for $13 bundle works, but NetOne’s pricing gives you a lot more value.
Data Usage Per Game
A Premier League match lasts about 90 minutes, call it 2 hours if you watch the buildup and halftime analysis. Here’s how much data Showmax burns per hour, depending on quality:
| Quality Setting | Resolution | Data Per Hour | Per Game (2 hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Saving | 144p | ~60 MB | ~120 MB |
| Basic (recommended) | 360p | ~240 MB | ~480 MB |
| Good | 432p | ~420 MB | ~840 MB |
| Best | 1080p | ~2.1 GB | ~4.2 GB |
Realistically, the Basic (360p) setting works for most people, it’s clear enough on a phone screen. Good (432p) is even better if you want a sharper picture without going crazy on data. Best (1080p) is perfect, but you’ll need unlimited data or deep pockets.
If you really must, you can do the Data Saving one but it is rough. You couldn’t tell individual players on that setting, just that the team in white is advancing. You also can’t easily pick out where the ball is. However, maybe it’s my old eyes, you can try it out.
How Many Games Can You Watch?
Using the Basic (360p) setting:
- One game ≈ 480MB
- 10GB bundle ≈ 20 games on NetOne
- 8GB bundle ≈ 16 games on Econet
That’s enough to watch your team’s entire games if you follow them religiously. With data to spare to watch other games that could be of interest, like a Big 6 clash.
Now, if you only care about your team’s matches, they play four times a month in most months, so you’re looking at:
- 4 games × 480MB ≈ 1.9GB/month
That’s it. Less than 2GB. Meaning you don’t even need the big 10GB bundles, a smaller, cheaper data bundle will do just fine if you’re disciplined about what you stream.
Why This Changes Everything
For years, many football fans have been forced into sports bars, not for the vibes but because paying to watch at home was too expensive. But here’s the thing: most sports bars require you to buy at least two drinks to sit and watch a match.
That’s $2–$4 gone per game.
Do the math. Four matches a month at a bar = $8–$16 spent on drinks you probably didn’t want. Put that same money into a Showmax sub and data, and you’re watching the games legally, anywhere, on your phone, without being forced into a minimum spend.
Bottom Line
For about $11/month on NetOne (or $17 on Econet), you can watch many Premier League games legally on Showmax, from anywhere.
And if you’re only watching your team’s games? You could spend a little less or watch in better quality. On both NetOne and Econet you could get a 2-Hourly bundle when the game is on for $2.
Meaning you’d need $8 to stream your team’s four games a month. Making it $12 for Showmax+Data. The advantage being that you could stream at the Best (1080p) quality setting with the 2-hourly bundles.
However, as you can see, if you can, you’re better off adding $2 and getting a Mo-Gigs data bundle and getting to watch more games.
If you’re interested and need step-by-step directions on how to get set up, click here to read more.
That’s it, I know many young guys who are spending close to that in minimum spend just to stand in a crowd, peaking over shoulders to watch the game in sports bars. Getting smoke blown into the air and terrible music blasted into their ears just for the love of the game.
For those people, the Showmax deal now makes sense. If you’re about the bar vibes, then do you.
Also read:
DStv Considering What We’ve All Asked For: A Standalone SuperSport Package
Leave a Reply