And the cheapest series and movie streaming services in SA (based on cost per title) are...

• If cost per title is your primary streaming service deciding factor, Amazon Prime Video is a clear winner. Thanks to a massive movie catalogue and a low subscription fee, Prime Video costs just 1 cent per title.
• But if it's series you're after, Netflix is still the local leader, even though their shows are about 2 cents more than Amazon's. And if you're worried about your budget, the clear losers in these stakes are BritBox and AppleTV+, followed by Disney+.
• Here's how streaming services in South Africa compare on a cost-per-show basis.
• For more stories, visit the News24 Tech and Trends home page.

When it comes to picking streaming providers, it's not all about the cost - until the point arrives that you've signed up with every provider that caught your attention, and you now need to think about scaling back. 

Although the average cost of the most popular streaming services in South Africa is around R113 per month, if you signed up for them all, you'd be paying closer to R680 per month. 

Still, the temptation to sign up for multiple streaming services is understandable, particularly given the fragmented state of the industry, the low monthly price point for most services, and, for some, an ever-present fear of missing out on the show of the moment.

But if it's purely titles for your rands that you're after, regardless of chasing particular shows or movies, it's relatively easy to establish which streaming provider offers the best value. 

Although streaming services charge between R79 and R159 per month in South Africa, the number of shows each offers differs significantly and often doesn't correlate to the cost. 

AppleTV+, for example, is one of the more expensive services, yet it only offers South African viewers around 175 titles. 

And on the other end of the scale is Prime Video, which is comfortably the cheapest local streaming service in our comparison, but which has far and away the highest number of titles to choose from.

Here's how they compare:

By total movie and series numbers

When it comes to total titles, Amazon's Prime Video service has a lead by some margin, with 9 754 movies and series in South Africa, according to figures reported by JustWatch. Behind Prime Video is Netflix, with a total of 6 158.

Multichoice's ShowMax, with 2 127, and Disney+, with 929, are some way behind. 

Apple TV+ and BritBox are even further behind, with total numbers of around 170 and 175 respectively.

By total number of series

Netflix is a comfortable winner regarding the total number of series. At last count, they had around 1 000 more shows than their nearest competitor, Prime Video. ShowMax and Disney+ are 718 and 876 respectively, behind ShowMax. And Apple TV+, BritBox, one again languish.

By total number of movies

Amazon is a comfortable winner regarding the total number of movies. Their Prime Video service currently has around 8 430 titles to stream. Behind them is Netflix, with 3 761, and ShowMax, with 1 521.

Costs per series and movie:

Although the above show and movie numbers constantly fluctuate, they provide good averages to measure the overall cost per show or movie. And working with these and their stated costs on the streaming service websites gives a good idea of the cost per show.

At R79 per month, it offers 9 754 shows, equating to one cent per title.

Netflix has many more series to choose from, making it the obvious choice for traditional TV fans. But their higher monthly cost puts their offering at a few cents higher than Amazon's.

And when it comes to the most expensive streaming services per title in South Africa, the battle is between Apple TV+ and BritBox, who have cost-per-title figures of 74c and 57c, respectively.

Here's how leading streaming services in South Africa compare on a cost-per-show basis:

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