LI V E T V
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aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
SEPTEMBER 2019
The Sport 24 live sports channel has broadcast many
live sports events to airline passengers this year. The
company reports that the best received live sports
coverage so far this year has been the NFL Super
Bowl LIII, all the drama of the NBA & NHL postseasons
– including the Raptors first NBA title – the
dramatic conclusion of the Premier League season
(Man City v Liverpool) and the all-English Champions
League (Liverpool & Tottenham) and Europa League
(Arsenal & Chelsea) finals.
Other popular live events on board included Tiger
Woods winning his fifth Augusta Masters title and first
major in 10 years, Rafael Nadal’s 12th Roland Garros
title, the USA’s fourth Women’s World Cup title, and as
a treat for long-haul passengers, the longest singles
final in Wimbledon history (Federer v Djokovic).
Still to come in 2019 and 2020 are the Rugby World
Cup in Japan, the US Open Tennis, the return of the
Premier League, Bundesliga, Europa League and
Champions League, the return of the US sports
(NFL, NBA and NHL), Tokyo 2020 and Euro 2020.
Gogo selects modem
manager for 2Ku
Gogo is deploying the nextgeneration
ModMan (modem
manager) unit from Kontron in
its 2Ku IFC system in both retrofit
and OEM linefit programmes.
ModMan is based on the
Taurus Ku-band modem from
Gilat Satellite Networks and uses
technologies from the Kontron
ACE Flight server range,
which includes processor
and Ethernet Switch
building blocks. The ModMan
will support simultaneous inflight
connectivity and IPTV to users
of the Gogo 2Ku system.
ModMAN leverages Kontron’s
ACE Flight 4780 open architecture
server and is compliant to ARINC
791 standard, which covers
airborne Ku-band and Ka-band
SatCom systems. This means that
ModMan can be easily adapted
to various aircraft installations.
Panasonic and IMG have
announced esports video games
competitions as the latest
addition to Sport 24 Extra’s live
IFE programming. This marks
the first time that live, organised,
competitive gaming has been
introduced to aviation. It will
be accessible to passengers via
the IMG-owned Sport 24 Extra
channel, available inflight on
Panasonic-equipped aircraft.
Introducing esports will enable
airlines to provide more engaging
inflight gaming viewing options.
The parties also believe the deal
will improve operational efficiency
by providing long-lasting value
on investment, and drive new
business opportunities through
advertising and attracting
a new audience.
David Bartlett, CTO of
Panasonic Avionics says, “As
passengers get younger and
airlines more digital, the need
for new and engaging content is
increasingly essential to compete.
Esports brings value to an airline
by enhancing the passenger
experience with engaging content
that has garnered one of the
fastest-growing audiences
in entertainment. Similar to
traditional sports, esports is
most valuable when broadcast
live. Past live esports
tournaments and matches
have seen viewership surpass
traditional sports.
Sport 24 has a treat for
travelling sports fans
SPORT 24 EXTRA LAUNCHES
LIVE INFLIGHT ESPORTS
Gogo TV now live
around the world
Gogo TV is active on five global airlines – GOL, Delta,
American, Japan Airlines and Japan Transoceanic.
“Passengers expect live TV and video in the cabin
with the consistency and quality they experience
on their couches at home, but there are unique
challenges to delivering new inflight TV and video
products and services,” says Blane Boynton, SVP of
product management at Gogo. “Unlike legacy live TV
systems with a dedicated TV antenna, Gogo’s satellite
antennas supports both the fastest connectivity
available to passengers and live TV.”
Sport 24 also
broadcast the
first Fortnite
World Cup
2019
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