Virgin to Offer Netflix Streaming on 10 Planes With Fast Wi-Fi
Viewers are demanding access to their favorite content wherever they are, and the next frontier for that is travel. While Netflix doesn't allow subscribers to download content for offline viewing (as Amazon Prime began doing in earlier this month) it announced a partnership with Virgin that brings streaming TV shows and movies to some travelers.
Ten Virgin airbus A320 aircraft equipped with ViaSat Wi-Fi service will offer free Netflix streaming through March 2, 2016. The planes are entering service between this fall and mid-2016, so some of them won't be in service until the promotion ends. Netflix says ViaSat's internet speeds are 8 to 10 times faster those of other onboard systems, which allows for video streaming. It didn't mention what resolution viewers are able to stream.
Netflix subscribers can access the full Netflix library on notebooks, tablets, and phones, but there's also something for non-subscribers. Starting next month, the full run of House of Cards will be available through Virgin's Red touchscreen seatback entertainment system.
The two companies kicked off the promotion with a fun celebrity tie-in. Michael Kelly, who plays Doug Stamper on House of Cards, took a ride on a House of Cards-branded aircraft yesterday, traveling from San Francisco, California, to Washington, D.C. Kelly offered "tongue-in-cheek, morally-ambiguous political advice over the aircraft's intercom before take-off," Netflix said.
Related Articles
One-size-fits-all encoding doesn't produce the best possible results, so Netflix recently moved to per-title optimization. Learn why this improves video quality and saves on bandwidth, but isn't the right model for every company.
14 Jan 2016
Regular viewers of the SVOD average watching 10 shows and 4 movies on it each week; mobile Netflix viewing is also on the rise.
29 Oct 2015
The SoftBank Group will help Netflix make an entrance by offering streamlined sign-up and billing to its customers.
24 Aug 2015
When Netflix Subscribers click on a title for more information, they'll see a video preview so they know exactly what they're getting.
23 Jul 2015
While Netflix has been the biggest name is SVOD since its online debut, its momentum will soon make it the country's biggest broadcaster.
30 Jun 2015