Durban (RHOD) launched exclusively on Showmax on Friday, 29 January and within hours was trending on Twitter and on screens.

A review of the launch day statistics on the streaming platform reveals that RHOD has broken all previous first-day viewing records, claiming top spot on the streaming service.

The episode landed on Showmax at 00:00, with die-hard fans staying up until midnight to stream. Views started to pick up from 07:00, continuing to rise throughout the day with views peaking at 20:00. Over the last week, RHOD has remained the most popular show on Showmax.

Speaking about the success of the first episode, Candice Fangueiro, head of content at Showmax, says, “We know our reality fans come for the drama and if you’re looking for fireworks, the first episode of RHOD has it all, so we’re not surprised to see it break records.”

The series features six successful and stylish Durban socialites: Annie Ludick, Ayanda Ncwane, Kgomotso Ndungane, Nonkanyiso Conco, Nonku Williams and Sorisha Naidoo. In the series, viewers are invited into their homes, their businesses and of course, into their drama too. The first episode ended on a bombshell as Nonku shared her personal connection to Ayanda, CEO of Ncwane Communications and widow of gospel legend Sfiso. The hashtags #RHODurban and #realhousewivesofdurban were trending throughout the day on Twitter as fans from across the continent tuned in to the drama. Minnie Dlamini, whose wedding show, Becoming Mrs Jones, is also on Showmax, said on Twitter, “This is my new favorite show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #RHODurban Episode 1 has me hooked.”

Celebrity and reality TV star Lasizwe, who also has a series on Showmax, tweeted, “One thing about #RHODurban is Lasizwe is definitely a fan of the show! What a way to end episode 1. Tsi!”

Entertainment journalist and commentator Phil Mpela tweeted, “I’m watching the first episode of #RHODurban …They are gorgeous and clearly have a good sense of style… well, most of them 😉 The show looks like MONEY!!!”

New episodes of RHOD will air exclusively on Showmax every Friday. Showmax is currently running a special offer that gives three months of Showmax for the price of one, starting from R49 per month.