Could This Solution Mean Live TV On More Low Cost Carriers?

In 2022, Panasonic reported that more than 4 million passengers had tuned into this Japanese electronics company’s Avionics’ Live Television service. This piece of statistics came during the height of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A year later, the Rugby World Cup was also broadcast on flights operated by Air New Zealand and Emirates. After its partnership with France 24, Air France also offered live TV.

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Live TV is generally perceived as a luxury that budget airline passengers cannot afford. However, this is set to change. GDC Media is aspiring to transform the landscape of inflight entertainment (IFE) and internet services by introducing AERO VISION. This technology will link an ad-supported inflight-captured OTT streaming network to the global digital advertising ecosystem. The inflight ads, with their minimal distractions and extended exposure, are set to offer distinct advantages over traditional advertising mediums.

Photo: Spirit Airlines

GDC Media is based in Australia. The consummate professionals working for this media deliver state-of-the-art internet platforms and inflight streaming. AERO VISION, developed by GDC, has the potential to revolutionize the onboard experience as airline passengers can experience cost-free real-time live-streaming. This includes access to:

• Breaking news
• Live sports
• Shopping
• Gaming

Photo: Emirates

AERO Vision specifically caters to the interests of ultra-low-cost and low-cost carriers. The “digital device” first approach ensures that carriers don’t have to bear additional costs.

How does the ad-supported revenue model work?

AERO VISION uses an ad-supported revenue model. This allows carriers to “generate ancillary revenue based on local advertising rates.” This targeted advertisement lodged into the internet services and inflight entertainment takes a “controlled access approach”. If a passenger prefers an ad-free experience on their flights or wants to access video conferencing, (s)he can pay-per-flight.

However, AERO VISION didn’t introduce the concept of ad-supported entertainment access

Ad-supported access to entertainment has been introduced into a few airlines. Further, the providers are improving at flexibly providing live TV, as carriers offer multiple options to passengers. Some of the airlines where you can find this form of entertainment include:

• American Airlines’ limited-duration session: One can use AAdvantage Miles to pay for Wi-Fi at AA.
• JetBlue Airlines’ full flight session: the only low-cost carrier that offers high-speed WiFi to all its passengers on all its operating aircraft.
• Delta Air Lines’ partnership/sponsorship model: tests of the in-flight entertainment in Delta for live-streaming, among others, started around the end of last year. It provides “up to 18 channels of live satellite TV on select flights, curated playlists, today’s top podcasts and a wide selection of games.”

But how do airlines benefit from this technology?

Airlines pay millions of dollars to show movies onboard. As explained in an earlier piece by Simple Flying, inflight entertainment provides airlines a chance to earn revenue in many ways:

“Some airlines will run a lengthy series of ‘unskippable’ promotions after take-off, meaning every passenger’s inflight entertainment screen is rolling the same commercial for a handful of services and products… Inflight entertainment systems can also display adverts when idle, known as ‘banner ads’. This is when passengers aren’t watching anything in particular, so the screensaver will display an advert.”

Photo: Joni Hanebutt | Shutterstock

From targeted advertising to increasing connectivity, there’s a lot that airlines, particularly low-cost carriers, using AERO VISION can tap into. These include:

Revenue Generation

The ad-supported model on AERO VISION can create additional revenue streams. The advanced advertising technologies are used to enable more effective and relevant ads.

Enhanced Passenger Experience

Entertainment options such as Catch-up TV, Live TV, internet-enriching e-commerce, and AVoD are some of the high-quality in-flight experiences offered by AERO VISION.

Photo: United Airlines

Flexibility and Connectivity

Passengers also get to enjoy ad-free and premium options. AERO VISION collaborates with multiple connectivity partners, such as SATCOM or A2G to identify the most suitable supplier for a particular region. The service also works when disconnected.

Executive Insights into the operations of AERO VISION

Georgina Dodson, Co-CEO, Commercial at GDC Media, believes that the technology can be a revolution in the industry:

“We are thrilled to introduce AERO VISION, a pioneering innovation in the inflight entertainment and connectivity market.. In my eight years of IFE experience, this is truly a game-changer. Our ad-supported model not only offers passengers a cost-free experience but also significantly covers the expenses of the in-flight connectivity services for ultra-low-cost and low-cost airlines. These airlines, which account for 30% of global passenger growth, often operate with limited budgets.”

Chisholm McTavish, Co-CEO, Technology at GDC Media, posited that the “open internet” that GDC Media is expected to serve aircraft “undermines ancillary revenue potential”, as the “walled garden” approach offers access only to a handful of communication platforms and digital publication houses.

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When can we see AERO VISION in commercial aircraft?

AERO VISION is currently open for discussions to be used on carriers around the world. Airlines wanting to use this technology will need to buy the connectivity services they are looking to offer with AERO VISION from the underlying IFC provider. When the technology will get onboard is something that aviation enthusiasts have a keen eye out on.