Flying is about to get a little more comfortable.
According to a report from Variety, Netflix is starting partnerships with airlines to incorporate mobile streaming technology into their on-flight services in the next year.
The partnerships are reportedly part of an effort to motivate airlines to provide better in-flight Wi-Fi for passengers in general. On Netflix’s end, the draw is simple: the better the Wi-Fi is on planes, the more passengers will be able to use it to watch Netflix during their flights. But with seat sizes shrinking and passenger experience plummeting in recent years, is this something airlines really care about enough to execute well?
Apparently yes.
.@Netflix Takes to Skies, Pitching Airlines on In-Flight Streaming Tech https://t.co/rOORAExgth
— Variety (@Variety) September 25, 2017
Variety points out that Netflix already dipped its toe into the mid-air market in the past, offering free Wi-Fi for customers flying Virgin America, Aeromexico, Qantas, and Virgin Australia—so the new initiative is more like a step-up than a blind leap. Over the years, the streaming giant has already needed to develop better bandwidth technologies for streaming video on unreliable cellular connections, so in-flight Wi-Fi’s just the next frontier.
According to Netflix, the company’s tech could save airlines “up to 75 percent in bandwidth costs while offering better internet.” Not bad.
H/T Variety