SES Brings the World's Biggest Sports Events to Passengers in the Sky

From the Olympics to the World Cup, SES Keeps Fans Connected at 35K Feet

This month, the Winter Olympics will feature 166 medal events taking place over 17 days, with competitions essentially happening at all hours of the day. Then, in June and July, the FIFA World Cup will include 104 total soccer matches over the course of 39 days, making it the longest version of the worldwide tournament in history.

For most fans and viewers, it simply will not be possible to watch all the action live and in real-time from the confines of the neighborhood pub or the comfort of one’s couch. Life doesn’t come to a halt each time an Olympic event of interest or a soccer match kicks off.

But in today’s streaming age, fans want and expect to be able to watch live events no matter where they are – and that includes inside the cabin of a commercial aircraft 35,000 feet above the Earth.

For commercial airlines, ensuring that the Olympics, the World Cup, or any major event that is going to attract a critical mass of viewers can be watched live in flight is critical. But not necessarily easy. Aircraft must be equipped with the right technology and have access to ample satellite bandwidth that not only makes live TV and streaming possible, but does so without buffering, freezing, or other frustrating interruptions.

SES Elevates In-Flight Live TV for Global Sports Events

Commercial airlines that partner with SES gain access to powerful satellite-powered in-flight connectivity and entertainment solutions that make the live broadcasting of major events that everyone wants to watch possible.

SES’s team of commercial aviation experts work intimately with each airline partner taking into account their fleets, installed equipment and technology, route maps, and each airline’s unique inflight connectivity strategy to ultimately enable the airline to deliver to passengers a superior live TV or streaming viewing experience.

Multi-orbit connectivity and dynamic bandwidth allocation ensure that each aircraft has the capacity to broadcast live events with minimal latency and complete global coverage. Robust internet connectivity from take-off to landing also allows passengers to message with friends, engage on social media, and share experiences as the action unfolds.

Whether watching on a seatback screen or on a personal connected device, SES ensures that passengers traveling on a commercial aircraft during major global events like the Olympics and World Cup do not have to miss the biggest live moments that will be talked about tomorrow and remembered for years to come.