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With HBO’s Help, The In-Flight Entertainment Is About To Get SharperThe regular in-flight movie is said to have begun in 1961 on T.W.A., with a relatively risqué Lana Turner movie, By Love Possessed. Over the years, as flying became more routine, so did the entertainment. The in-flight entertainment became somewhat bland because of the need to choose films suitable for passengers of all ages. Starting in May, however, sharper fare will be returning to the skies — including mob killings, cursing cowboys and interviews by an obnoxious hip-hop journalist. Under an agreement between Delta Air Lines and HBO, planes in the airlines fleet that are fitted with video-on-demand seatbacks will have a dedicated HBO channel offering movies and 40 to 50 hours of unedited programming from popular series like The Sopranos, Da Ali G Show and Deadwood. Within a year, Delta says, all flights longer than four hours will have the programming, about 400 flights a day. First-class and international BusinessElite customers will get the service free; domestic economy-class customers will be charged $5 for a feature film and $2 an episode for TV shows. According to HBO, Delta paid a licensing fee and will share revenue with the network. Delta concedes that few customers would select an airline based on the TV channels available, but Joanne Smith, Deltas vice president of marketing, said that based on surveys, when the entertainment is better, the food gets better, the experience is better. She said the new channel was part of the airlines Delta reborn campaign, which also includes new uniforms designed by Richard Tyler and progressive, contemporary music while boarding. The idea of having the HBO programming on flights came from discussions with the Creative Artists Agency about how to improve the flight experience in a world where everyone is bringing their own entertainment, Ms. Smith said. Parental controls can be applied by flight attendants on a seat occupied by young person, she said, and the HBO programming wont show episodes that have racy content. That covers gratuitous violence as well as sex, which may reduce the number of Sopranos episodes available for viewing. Charles Schreger, HBOs president for programming sales, said that the network did not expect to make much money on the offering. But he said that air travel represented a new platform for HBO and that additional deals would follow. Within the next year, youll see HBO programming available on other airlines than Delta, Mr. Schreger predicted. NOAM COHEN Tag CloudExternal InformationAdditional InformationA poaching perfection...Beyonce no longer a fiancee... New DVDs: Absolute Artifice: A Movie Star of the Old School... Minogue infuriates Paul McCartney’s ex... Where Am I?News Main Page - Business - With HBO’s Help, The In-Flight Entertainment Is About To Get Sharper |
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