BBC Worldwide announced at MIPCOM 2017 that it has concluded a content sales agreement with African SVOD service Showmax. The mixed-genre package, in excess of 150 hours of natural history, drama, and factual entertainment programming, will be available to Showmax subscribers in 36 African countries.

Joel Churcher, vice president and general manager for Africa, BBC Worldwide, says, "I am delighted that Showmax subscribers across the African continent will soon have access to some of the most loved and much talked about shows from the BBC and leading United Kingdom independents through this new agreement."

Churcher adds, "BBC Worldwide has a deep catalogue of premium content, which we can offer across all platforms to ensure African audiences can view our world-class content whenever and wherever they choose."

Key shows that Showmax subscribers can look forward to include: 

Planet Earth II – Planet Earth II is seen by 34 million people in the United Kingdom and reveals the planet from a new perspective. Ten years on from the original series, advances in both filming technology and an understanding of the natural world allows viewers to experience the world from the viewpoint of animals themselves. Travelling through jungles, deserts, mountains, islands, grasslands, and cities, the series explores the unique characteristics of Earth’s habitats and the ways animals survive within them; 
Call the Midwife (series four to six) – Voted ‘The Best Drama of the 21st century’ in a British Film Institute and Radio Times Audience poll, Call the Midwife follows the triumphs and tribulations of the nurses and nuns from the Nonnatus House convent as they work in the poverty-stricken East End of London; 
The Durrell’s (series one and two) – The series follows the adventures of the Durrell family on a Greek island of Corfu in the 1930s. Based on Gerald Durrell’s Corfu trilogy, the series sees widow Louisa Durrell and the family adjust to their new life;
The Collection – From writer Oliver Goldstick (Desperate Housewives) and set in 1947, the series tracks a pivotal moment in France’s history when fashion became a vehicle for transformation and reinvention; and
Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week (series one and two) – In this series, 29 men and women take on the challenge of enduring 12 days straight of physical and mental endurance. Series two takes place in South Africa.

Chris Savides, head of Showmax Africa, says, "BBC shows are a cornerstone of our content line-up and have played a major part in propelling Showmax from a standing start two years ago, to one of the most popular Internet TV services in Africa. This deal is great news for our subscribers and, with their continued support, we’re looking forward to adding, even more, BBC content in the future."