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The Girl From St Agnes, the first Showmax Original drama, broke an important record on its debut on the service on Thursday, January 31.
The number of unique viewers in the first 24 hours exceeded that of the previous record-holder, another Showmax Original comedy series Tali’s Wedding Diary. In addition, the number of views was more than double that of the most popular Hollywood series on its debut.
Speaking about this achievement, Candice Fangueiro, Head of Content for the Connected Video division of MultiChoice, which houses Showmax, said:
“We’re over the moon. This shows without a shadow of a doubt that local content is a major differentiator, and it also shows that African productions can not only hold their own against the best in the world but they can actually come out on top.”
The Girl From St Agnes, tells the story of a popular student who is found dead at a prestigious all-girls boarding school in the Midlands. The police are quick to declare the death of Lexi Summerveld (newcomer Jane de Wet) a tragic accident, but drama teacher Kate Ballard (Paris Fashion Week and Vogue model Nina Milner, who also starred in Troy: Fall Of A City) doesn’t believe it. The more she investigates, the more Kate realises that she didn’t really know Lexi or the school at all. Behind the imposing walls of St Agnes, Lexi’s killer won’t be the only person exposed…
Showmax has a strong catalogue of Hollywood and UK series and movies, including exclusive hit shows from major studios that aren’t available anywhere else. These ‘first and only’ shows are a key part of the appeal of the service and drive major viewing volumes. Local content including favourites from Mzansi Magic and kykNET is the second pillar of Showmax’s service and what sets it apart from others. Showmax Originals are set to become the third pillar of the service, with two successful Originals already released and more in the pipeline for later this year.
Going into more detail on viewing patterns for The Girl from St Agnes, Fangueiro said:
“We’d, of course, hoped that The Girl from St Agnes would get loads of views, but what we didn’t expect was how many people have already watched the entire series. That’s eight one-hour episodes in less than 24 hours – a serious testament to how binge-worthy the show is.”
