United Airlines is adding live TV to seatback screens on some Starlink-equipped aircraft this summer, including live sports, news, weather, and entertainment.
United Adds Live TV To Starlink-Enabled Seatback Screens
United Airlines and DIRECTV are teaming up to stream live television on seatback screens aboard select Starlink-enabled aircraft this summer.
The service will run through July 20 on as many as 150 Starlink-enabled United aircraft. United says passengers on those aircraft will have free access to more than a dozen live TV channels, including FOX, Fox Sports 1, Apple F1, ABC, ESPN, TNT, CNN, CBS, NBC, TBS, and BBC News.
The timing is not accidental. United is specifically pointing to live soccer during one of the summer’s biggest sports tournaments, though the channel lineup also includes news, weather, business programming, and entertainment.
While Starlink is also strong enough to stream from your own devices, it’s nice to have this available on seatback screens as well.
United Pairs Starlink With Seatback Screens
United has been aggressive in rolling out Starlink. The airline says Starlink is now active on more than 400 United mainline and United Express aircraft and that it expects to outfit its entire fleet before the end of 2027. Earlier this week, United debuted Starlink on its first widebody jet, a Boeing 777 traveling to London.
The new DIRECTV offering uses Starlink connectivity to stream live TV content to the aircraft, then presents it on seatback screens through web-enabled applications from Viasat Live TV and Thales 360.
United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella framed this as part of a broader seatback-screen strategy:
“United is adding Starlink to more aircraft than any other airline in the world and teaming up with DIRECTV is a way for us to give customers a glimpse into the future of inflight entertainment with live sports and do it during one of the world’s most popular sporting events. Our journey started nearly a decade ago with a decision to install screens in every seat. We already have more than 160,000 screens across our fleet, with plans to basically double that number soon via new deliveries and retrofits. But just having static screens with On Demand content was never our end game. The real customer benefit happens when those screens are dynamic and offer real-time, streaming content just like your phone. That’s where the combination of Starlink’s reliable and fast connectivity and DIRECTV IN FLIGHT live TV is a game-changer.”
That is the heart of this announcement. United is not just adding another batch of movies or television shows. It is testing whether live content can become part of the normal seatback entertainment experience. For now, we’ll have to wait an see if this live TV extends beyond next month.
CONCLUSION
United’s new DIRECTV partnership will bring live TV to seatback screens on up to 150 Starlink-equipped aircraft through July 20.
Considering Delta Air Lines already offers live TV as part of its free Wi-Fi offer, this seems like a sensible use of the technology United is already installing. If the connection is stable and the content works as promised, passengers will appreciate being able to watch live sports or news without juggling their own devices.
The bigger question is whether this becomes a temporary sports-focused promotion or a permanent feature as Starlink expands across the fleet, though I’d have to imagine this will stick around past July 20th. For now, it is another sign that United’s investment in both fast Wi-Fi and seatback screens is beginning to converge.
who knew DirecTV was still around…? Is it 2004?
JetBlue still has DirecTV
Yes, B6 continues to offer free, live DirecTV at seatback screens on nearly all of its flights.
Will be interesting to see of this service sucks up all the available bandwidth.
You may run out of beer with a flight full of fans watching a live sporting event.
DL has and will continue to have live TV on 800 mainline domestic aircraft including Fox which is the primary World Cup channel.
It speaks volumes that UA is only putting this on 150 aircraft and only for a month +/- a couple days
B6 and DL have had IFE screens and free WiFi for a while now; glad if UA is catching up; AA, AS, WN, etc. should, too.
B6 and DL are joke airlines that fly morons and poseurs. UA and AA are the only acceptable airlines, with WN during emergencies.
Y’all are forgetting that there are still PM CO 737-8s and 9s that only have Direct TV screens and also play movies on a loop. So, nice to see that United continues to be creative in keeping entertainment features that they have had for years while expanding them on new planes.
Congrats to UA! If this excellent feature becomes permanent after July 20th, then double congrats to UA!