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The Future of In Flight Entertainment Could Get More Personal

The world of in-flight entertainment is rapidly changing thanks to the rise of the subscription video on demand (SVOD) industry. Global content marketing agency Spafax has given insight as to how airlines can optimize the change in order to offer travelers a premium entertainment experience.

The medium of in-flight entertainment (IFE) is changing and with streaming services now trumping conventional film and TV offerings in the cabin, international content marketing agency Spafax has offered its insight into how these changes will affect studios, carriers and the wider subscription video on demand (SVOD) industry.

When asked about the advent of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, Andrea Whyte, the agency’s director of commercial content strategy, explained in a recent interview that, thanks to these changes, “In-flight entertainment has the opportunity to act as the perfect content aggregator combining the newest entertainment passengers can’t get through their current subscriptions with the buzzy titles they’ve been meaning to catch up on. As such, many major studios have been receptive to moving up access to early-window content on wireless IFE and maintaining an early window for seatback screens. And this is content that passengers can’t get on their own personal devices right now, a lot of these early-window movies aren’t on Netflix, they are not on Amazon, they are on the IFE system.”

As Emma Gunn, Spafax’s director of acquisitions and content partnership explained, the evolution of IFE could potentially allow passengers in-transit to stay connected with their favorite shows and even the news. She added that the agency is, “…excited about the entertainment opportunities that connectivity allows an aircraft, especially when it comes to live broadcast and events.”

Technological advances, said Whyte, have both helped to allow increased access to SVOD services and also to create the opportunity for airline passengers to have a premium in-flight entertainment experience.

Looking to the future, Gunn said, “There are opportunities through exclusive brand partnerships, especially when it comes to theater or concerts or, any number of celebrated events. Delivering live comedy or delivering live events up to the aircraft, life from the festival in conjunction with performances onboard–all of this offers a great opportunity for PR for both airline and the brands involved,” adding, “It brings a bit of fun into the entertainment as well, which is what it’s all about.”

Summing up how airlines and carriers should be harnessing this new market, Whyte said, “The key to creating a great passenger experience on these systems isn’t just about providing them with great content. It’s about making sure that passengers can find exactly what they want to watch as quickly and easily as possible.”

[Featured Image: Delta Air Lines]

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bennyg2 September 20, 2019

Please. Just let me stream from my own device to the screen already.