ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT
Above: RAVE on Air Transat
with a clean sheet of paper, and really focused on what the market wants - AVOD functionality for their passengers, high reliability, low weight and lower costs.”
Competition
So does IMS’ success make it the de facto winner? IFE provider Zodiac Aerospace, which offers its trademarked SiT system, certainly does not think so. Having started development on SiT in 2004, the system began flying in 2010 on four of Royal Jordanian’s A340s. South African Airways, Corsair and Air Astana have also joined SiT’s ranks.
Patrick Fretelliere, sales and marketing manager for Zodiac, commented, “IMS only focuses on the retrofit market, ease to access and also had a low price strategy to enter the market. SiT is investing more long term, direct competition with legacy [systems] in terms of performance and also line fit offerability.”
“The same smart devices that are influencing and sometimes steering the development of new IFE systems also threaten their very existence”
Market threats
The same smart devices that are influencing, and sometimes steering, the development of new IFE systems also threaten their very existence. Connectivity providers such as Gogo and Row44 are vying to replace installed systems and put the burden of providing the hardware on passengers while simply streaming the content.
Brett Snyder, author behind the Cranky Flyer, remarked: “As a traveller, I am excited about being able to combine my air and ground experiences. I like being able to take control
of how I view the video. I can use my own device, which might provide a better viewing experience than that of the airline system. If the studios are willing to allow early window content, then it's a win win for everyone. As an airline person, I like the cost-effectiveness of the solution.”
Final thought
The IFE industry has been evolving over the last few years. Connectivity and streaming IFE have been installed across the United States and are now beginning to expand outwards. Systems such as the Panasonic eX3 provide feature-rich entertainment and much deeper penetration into the airline’s operations. Amid all of that movement, seat centric systems are also earning a seat at the table. IMS currently leads that market due to first mover advantage, airlines’ trust in the RAVE’s reliability and a 'clean sheet of paper' that has allowed the IMS’ team to focus on innovation.
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