Live Sports Channel Available for Airlines

LONDON/NEW YORK: IMG Media has aligned with Panasonic Avionics Corp. to launch the first-ever in-flight live global premium 24-hour sports channel, Sport 24.

The service is being broadcast via satellite to specially equipped Gulf Air planes. The channel will feature live coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, The Barclays Premier League and Bundesliga, The Masters, The Open Championship and the Ryder Cup, Formula 1, Roland Garros and the Australian Open. Starting March 1, the service expands to include cruise liners, beginning with Norwegian Cruise Liners.

Richard Wise, the senior VP of IMG Media, said, “Sport 24 will revolutionize the way passengers watch live sports on airlines and cruise ships. For the first time ever viewers will be able to enjoy the greatest sporting events live while travelling on business or holidaying abroad. Sport fans will no longer have to miss their favorite team, or event on this new dedicated sports channel.”

David Bruner, the VP of global communication services at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, commented, “The launch of the Sport 24 channel is a momentous occasion not only for Panasonic’s eXTV service but for all of the in-flight market. The Sport 24 channel represents a major advancement in the in-flight experience for passengers all over the world. We are excited to be working with IMG and to have Gulf Air as our launch customer. After all, there’s nothing quite like watching the world’s top sporting events like the Olympics, live, on an aircraft, anywhere in the world.”

Gulf Air’s senior manager of in-flight entertainment and communications, Mohamad El Assaad, said, “Following the successful launch of our ‘Sky Hub’ we are now bringing our customers, more live channels and more programs; the Sport 24 channel, with an exceptional array of live action is the latest in our offerings. Now our customers onboard can watch their favorite sports stars live at 35,000 feet with all exhilaration and enthusiasm.”