Right now if you want to be entertained during a flight, you watch a lousy movie from six months ago on a small low-resolution screen from 1996 that is embedded in the seat in front of you. Netflix wants to change that and bring airline entertainment to the current year. Netflix is already dominating streaming entertainment in all of the land and now they have their eyes set on being the king of streaming entertainment in all of the air. The entertainment giant unveiled plans to partner with airlines to provide their passengers with free or cheap in-flight streaming of Netflix TV and movies. Variety reported that Netflix announced their ambitious and exciting plans on Monday at the 2017 APEX Expo.
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Netflix wants to offer its low-bandwidth mobile streaming technology to airline carriers to improve in-flight wi-fi speeds. Netflix wants to offer the efficient service “across the globe” and says it could help airline companies save up to 75% in bandwidth costs. The new technology would improve buffering times and help reduce bandwidth, but would be limited to around 250 kbps. The service, called “Netflix Inflight 2.0,” could help passengers remain entertained without purchasing expensive in-flight Wi-Fi. Netflix would benefit from the partnership by offering those without a Netflix membership the opportunity to sign up for a 30-day free trial, potentially gaining long-term subscribers.
In the past, Netflix has partnered with Aeromexico, Qantas, and Virgin Australia, but the streaming service is hoping to team up with American carriers. However, United Airlines and JetBlue already have deals in place with DirectTV for their in-flight entertainment. Netflix is expected to have this service available starting in 2018. Good-bye headrest screens.