Launch of DIRECTV inflight global IPTV planned for 2Q 2024

Having achieved high penetration for its inflight live television service on US airlines, including with JetBlue and United, DirecTV is readying to take its product to an international stage. The El Segundo, California-headquartered company plans to launch a global IPTV offering for airlines in the second quarter of 2024, and anticipates that passengers will be able to access the ‘DIRECTV International’ solution via IFE screens and personal devices.

“DirecTV has the utmost intention to bring its best-in-class inflight programming and content to both US-based and foreign airlines alike for any flight originating in the United States destined for any country in the world,” says Vinny Caruolo, DirecTV’s senior business development & sales manager, commercial & private aviation.

He continues: “DirecTV is aiming for Q2 2024 to begin delivering this solution to widebody aircraft flying international routes, having originated in the US. The content feeds and specific channel lineups will be based on each individual airline’s needs.”

DirecTV has exclusive sports distribution partnerships and content partnerships with various leagues and OTT platforms. “While we cannot reveal specific television content partnerships at this time, our primary focus for the global IPTV offering will revolve around sports and news channels. However, airlines will have the flexibility to include a variety of entertainment channels in the overall lineup, including lifestyle and reality-focused content,” notes Caruolo.

DirecTV competes with Dish in supporting inflight live television on US domestic aircraft. On the international front, DirecTV’s forthcoming new global IPTV offering will enter a market that has long seen Panasonic Avionics offer a sports-focused IPTV service to global airlines through a partnership with sports and events company IMG. Their latest five-year pact, announced in January 2021, gave Panasonic all international inflight rights to IMG’s popular Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra channels, and enables it to exclusively provide the channels to any airline, regardless of the IFE system or connectivity network they use. So, for instance, it can pipe World Cup matches to its airline partners via Sport 24.

Licensing agreements shape where, when and how entertainment is consumed. The IMG-Panasonic deal places Panasonic as a gatekeeper exclusively for Sport 24 channels for the inflight market.

When asked if DirecTV sees any opportunities to partner with Panasonic for some Sport 24 content, or whether it can offer a comparable – or indeed better – global IPTV feed for live sports, Caruolo stated: “Unfortunately, DirecTV cannot comment on Panasonic’s deal with IMG as the exclusive distributor for the Sport 24 channel, as it falls outside our purview.” He did not address partnership opportunities.

Caruolo does reveal, however, that the DIRECTV International channel lineup can be augmented with some unique-to-DirecTV channels. The exact number of TV channels included at the launch date is yet to be determined “due to bandwidth constraints associated with global distribution”.

To facilitate IPTV, that is the delivery of a television feed over Internet Protocol networks, bandwidth via the inflight connectivity pipe is, of course, required. At present, DirecTV’s domestic IPTV product is deployed solely over Viasat’s high-capacity Ka-band satellite network. But Ku-band satellite connectivity also suits as a conduit for IPTV, as Panasonic has demonstrated with its Ku-band network. Many widebodies flying internationally carry a Ku or a Ka-band satcom system.

DirecTV is certainly no stranger to the inflight market. In 2000, it made its mark in aviation by feeding a direct broadcast satellite (DBS)-based live television solution for launch customer JetBlue Airways. DBS for IFE is now largely considered a legacy service, requiring a separate antenna, but at the time, it was state-of-the-art. United Airlines became a customer in 2009. When US operators including JetBlue and United adopted high-speed Internet, as powered by Viasat’s satellite service, it opened the door for DirecTV to bring IPTV to its airline customers. Thereafter, it saw rapid growth. DirecTV is understood to now have a live TV presence on almost 1,800 aircraft, including aircraft with legacy DBS systems. It has seen incremental domestic growth, recently adding select Delta 767-400s, for instance. It also counts American as a customer.

Inflight live television has long attracted airline passengers’ eyeballs. But during major sporting events in the United States, “we observe a substantial increase in passenger engagement rates, both on seatback screens and personal devices. Events such as the World Cup Final, the Super Bowl, Wimbledon, the Olympics, The Masters, and NBA Finals all generate higher take rates,” notes the DirecTV executive.

Little wonder that DirecTV sees opportunities in the international market. Runway Girl Network