House of Cards takes flight as Netflix teams up with Virgin America
- Summary:
- Frank Underwood at 35,000 feet. For the box-set generation, Virgin America is teaming up with Netflix to offering mile-high streaming in the skies.
It was only a couple of months ago that the prospect of Netflix at 30,000 feet was suggested by Virgin America.
Just short of two months later, that dream is a reality - or it is on planes kitted out with Virgin’s new ViaSat WiFi, which the airline boasts can deliver Internet speeds up to ten times faster than other airline Wi-Fi systems, such as Gogo.
That’s only ten aircraft at present, but for a pilot period up until March next year, passengers on those planes will be able to access the free wifi network through ViaSat by entering in their existing Netflix account details—or creating a new, free 30-day trial account, which will feed the entertainment company’s need to add more subscribers.
Bill Holmes, Global Head of Business Development at Netflix, says:
We are strong believers in the increasing ubiquity of wifi to bring the benefits of Netflix to members wherever they are. This advances our goal to bring Netflix to members wherever they are and whenever they want. For us, the future of streaming technology is about delivering an on-demand service that takes advantage of the expansion of WiFi to public places, parks and now airplanes.
Meanwhile Abby Lunardini, Virgin America’s Vice President of Brand Marketing and Communications, said that the new partnership will allow the airline to deliver:
the largest breadth of streamed content ever available at 35,000 feet.
Which is a pretty low base from which to boast, but that' by the by...
On a brand extension roll, she adds:
We hope our guests enjoy the offering and know that even President Frank Underwood can't get entertainment this good onboard Air Force One.
That House of Cards plug mirrors an early announcement that Virgin America is implementing a significant upgrade to its Red in-flight entertainment system, which will allow guests to binge-watch entire seasons of certain Netflix originals, with House of Cards Season 1-3 pitched as the main reason to view.
And the House of Cards focus goes on with the decision to paint the 10 aircraft involved in the pilot roll-out with House of Cards livery.
Beaten to the punch
While this is a big deal in terms of the future of in-flight entertainment, Virgin and Netflix were beaten to the mark by JetBlue. In May it began offering free streaming via its Fly-Fi high speed internet service to Amazon Prime subscribers which in turn will allow customers to stream videos in flight. Prime members will be able to do the same with music on JetBlue flights.
Normally the Fly-Fi service is $9 per hour, while the airline’s free Wi-Fi is not robust enough allow video streaming. Fly-Fi will be available on all JetBlue’s Airbus A321 and A320 aircraft this year, and on JetBlue’s Embraer E190 aircraft in 2016.
Again, the new entertainment service is pitched as a differentiator for JetBlue in the competitive airline industry. Jamie Perry, VP of brand and product development for JetBlue, says:
Just like at home, customers will be able to access movies and TV shows from Amazon from 35,000 feet in the sky over our super fast and free Fly-Fi. By teaming up with a category-leader like Amazon, we created a unique model where we can offer complimentary broadband Internet access.
My take
Good idea? You might say that, I couldn't possibly comment.
But as someone who can’t get on a train or a plane without checking that my iPad is up to date with movies and TV shows, this is a welcome development all round.
If it can be replicated on international flights, future trips to the West Coast might not be characterised by nervousness about whether the iPad battery will last the trip.