Gogo Wi-Fi is about to get a lot more serious about in-flight entertainment thanks to a new deal it has struck with Magnolia Pictures.
In-flight entertainment has been taking huge strides over the past few years to be, well, actually entertaining. The problem, however, is that most passengers now carry their entertainment with them in the form of some form of tablet, so how do you attract them back to paying to watch your programming? Gogo has struck a deal with Magnolia Pictures that will the company best known for its in-flight Wi-Fi service to show movies before they hit theaters.
The program will launch next month with The Last Days on Mars and Best Man Down, the first of which will be playing on aircraft a full month before it hits theaters.
It seems doubtful you will ever see this happening with A-list films, but it could be an interesting way to increase revenues for the service provider while also building up advanced word-of-mouth for smaller films.
No word as of yet if any other studios will join in on the concept. You can get all of the details in the press release below.
Gogo Partners with Magnolia to Offer Passengers on Gogo Vision Equipped Aircraft Magnolia Pictures Content
Content Includes Theatrical and Pre-theatrical Releases
ITASCA, Ill., Oct. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO), the world leader of in-flight connectivity and a pioneer in wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, has partnered with Magnolia Pictures to offer their movies to airline passengers through Gogo Vision. The content will include pre-theatrical and theatrical release titles, which is a first for Gogo.
Gogo Vision allows passengers to rent movies and television shows and stream them to their own Wi-Fi enabled devices. Passengers can select from a library of more than 100 programs from major Hollywood studios. Renting videos through Gogo Vision starts at $3.99 for a movie and $.99 for a TV show. For passengers who don't finish their program onboard the aircraft, Gogo Vision has a resumption of play feature that allows passengers to finish watching their program on the ground for a 24-hour period on the same device on which they rented the movie or television show.
"We continue to enhance and improve the offerings that passengers can find on Gogo Vision," said Gogo's chief commercial officer, Ash ElDifrawi. "Magnolia has a strong history of bringing cutting edge and compelling content to market. Having pre-theatrical and theatrical releases available to passengers is a first for Gogo and it will help assure that there's always something fresh and exciting for passengers to watch when they use Gogo Vision."
Starting in November, passengers on select aircraft will have access to THE LAST DAYS ON MARS, a sci-fi thriller starring Liev Schreiber (Ray Donavan, X-Man Origins: Wolverine), before it's in theaters. They'll also have access to BEST MAN DOWN, a smart and moving comedy starring Justin Long (Live Free or Die Hard) and Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale Vs Evil).
"We are excited to be working with Gogo and their innovative Gogo Vision platform. Airline passengers can finally have the same early window access to our amazing films that has been available in virtually every home, every mobile device and many hotels across the country," said Eamonn Bowles, President of Magnolia Pictures.
Magnolia Pictures (www.magpictures.com) is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically-integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also includes the Landmark Theatres chain and the high definition cable network AXS TV.
About Gogo
Gogo is the global leader of in-flight connectivity and wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions. Using Gogo's exclusive products and services, passengers with Wi-Fi enabled devices can get online on more than 2,000 Gogo equipped commercial aircraft. In-flight connectivity partners include American Airlines, Air Canada, AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin America. In-flight entertainment partners include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Scoot and US Airways. In addition to its commercial airline business, Gogo has more than 6,500 business aircraft outfitted with its communications services.
Back on the ground, Gogo's 600+ employees in Itasca, IL, Broomfield, CO and London are working to continually redefine flying as a productive, socially connected, and all-around more satisfying experience. Connect with Gogo at www.gogoair.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gogo and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gogo.
