The Girl From St Agnes has beaten out Hollywood heavyweights as well as Showmax’s previous Original, Tali’s Wedding Diary, to become the most-watched show on its debut.
Johannesburg, South Africa – The Girl From St Agnes, the first Showmax Original drama, broke an important record on its debut on the service over the weekend. The number of unique viewers in the first 24 hours exceeded that of the previous record-holder, the 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, 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.”
In The Girl From St Agnes, a popular student 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…
“The kind of story that makes viewers want to click ‘continue watching’ at 3 a.m. and talk about it at work the next day.” Quartz
“The Girl From St Agnes has its hooks in us and we want more…” Htxt
“Who knew the Midlands, with its lush green pastoral backdrops, could have this much killer intrigue?” Critical Hit
“We were captivated from beginning to end… Like nothing you’ve seen on SA TV before.” Popcorn and Sugar
“Definitely the first of its kind for South Africa… I was immediately taken back to my alma mater, eerily so…” Mail and Guardian
“Highly addictive… the production standards are incredibly high and on par with (or, dare we say, better than some) international series…. a gripping eight-part murder mystery that’s thrilling, horrifying and will have you talking to your TV like it’s real life.” All4Women
“The story keeps you at the edge of your seat… Unlike anything you have seen on South African television… A truly binge-able experience… ” The South African
“Brilliant, bracing and completely binge-worthy! This may be one of the best productions South African has ever seen.” Brent Lindeque from Good Things Guy on Twitter
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.”
Watch the trailer below:
by 