A Breakthrough in Branded Content Revenue: JetBlue brings Old-School IFE to its Fly-Fi IFC
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What better travel companion than a book? A diary, if you’re Oscar Wilde, a juicy best-seller for the rest of us. Now HarperCollins brings the best of its authors to JetBlue’s Fly-Hub, the airline’s new content distribution platform. There are myriad opportunities for airlines to bring custom branded content to IFE, and its potential returns on investments in IFC are ready to be exploited. JetBlue has capitalized on these opportunities, making its new Fly-Fi Hub a veritable treasure-trove of sponsored content.
JetBlue passengers will have access to popular TV shows from FOX and National Geographic, e-learning videos from Coursera and Rouxbe. They can purchase magazines from Time Inc.’s portfolio, and read e-book samples from HarperCollins’ featured authors. Each HarperCollins e-book sampler will include buy buttons linking passengers to a variety of retailers where they can purchase the titles.
“We, like JetBlue, are committed to being at the forefront of our industry, so collaborating with them on this innovative consumer experience was a natural fit,” said Angela Tribelli, Chief Marketing Officer, HarperCollins Publishers of the deal.
The content is available on Fly-Fi Hub equipped aircraft both online and offline, and it will be on all of JetBlue’s 97 Fly-Fi equipped aircraft by the end of the year. In the first quarter of 2015, JetBlue will roll out additional content from PBS, Random House and the Wall Street Journal.
JetBlue’s Anna McEntee, manager onboard content tells us: “Since JetBlue is acting as a specialized storefront, we are earning revenue from these transactions.” Though some of the content consists of samples to entice purchases, McEntee says: “The Fly-Fi Hub is a content hub, we would not classify it as an advertising platform. We will have advertising placements, but right now we are creating a curated storefront with marquee partners to enhance the in-flight entertainment experience for our customers.”