Beyond the Box: How West Entertainment is Re-Engineering the IFEC Ecosystem
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In-flight entertainment is shedding its skin. Once defined by static catalogues refreshed on a 60-day cycle, the industry is pivoting toward a dynamic, data-driven, and rights-aware content ecosystem. As airlines face the complexity of this new landscape, West Entertainment is positioning itself not just as a content provider, but as a technical bridge between airlines and the latest passenger experience-enhancing technology.
West Entertainment continues to innovate in order to meet the opportunities and challenges that this shift in the in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) market provides. The company is currently focused on three key pillars: cloud-based and edge-cached architectures; managing rights complexity; and increasing personalization.
“We understand the balance between automation and editorial control. WestIQ is not about replacing human curation. Instead, it’s about augmenting decisions.”
– Kate Groth, West Entertainment
Positioning Content Closer to ‘The Edge’
The Lab at West it is redefining how media is prepared, secured, and delivered for virtualized IFE environments. West Entertainment VP Operations and Technology Solutions Eric Silverstein explained, “As IFE platforms move from aircraft-bound servers and physical media loads to cloud-based and edge-cached architectures, the content supply chain built around hard drives, manual loading, and monolithic updates no longer holds. At West, we see this change as an operational opportunity as much as a technical one.”
West is working hand-in-hand with leading OEM platforms and strategic tech partners to leverage dynamic updates and uploads. “With adaptive encoding and packaging, metadata normalization, content modularity, and DRM and security alignment, West is meeting evolving passenger expectations,” stated Silverstein.
The Future is Rights-Aware Workflows, Not Manual Compliance
One of the biggest hurdles for airlines, ISPs and content providers is managing evolving rights complexities across aircraft types, regions, and connectivity models. To tackle this issue head-on, West Entertainment’s WebyWest workflow engine provides a “rights-aware” system that understands the geographic and technical limitations of a content license. “This automation allows airlines to manage global fleets without the risk of rights infringement or the overhead of manual tracking,” said West Entertainment President Kate Groth.
As a direct result of the shifting landscape regarding content rights, West has also launched WeFly, a studio-approved OTT platform. The solution is engineered to deliver a superior content experience, leveraging a cloud-native, over-the-top architecture to eliminate the traditional constraints of legacy IFE systems.
Personalization, Without the Hefty Price Tag
West Entertainment’s proprietary AI model, WestIQ, is designed to take limitless data sources and translate them into specific business objectives by enabling real-time trend analysis, predictive analytics, intelligent content curation, budget optimization, and the creation of a personalized passenger experience. It does so across multiple platforms, including seatback IFE, wireless IFE and LEO-connected streaming without fragmentation.
For example, WestIQ can analyze unique airline data to curate content that resonates with specific routes, such as business-heavy long-haul flights or leisure-focused domestic services. It can also turn data into revenue by presenting targeted offers, be it advertising, Duty-Free, buy-on-board food and beverage, or destination-based activities, at the moment of highest engagement.
“With adaptive encoding and packaging, metadata normalization, content modularity, and DRM and security alignment, West is meeting evolving passenger expectations.”
– Eric Silverstein, West Entertainment
Perhaps most excitingly, WestIQ can reorganize the graphical user interface of an IFE system in real-time based on passenger interactions.
Groth commented, “We understand the balance between automation and editorial control. WestIQ is not about replacing human curation. Instead, it’s about augmenting decisions around programming with insights on performance and localization. This translates to smarter recommendations and a better understanding of passenger behaviour that turns data into actionable insights for airlines.”
West Entertainment is looking to define the new standard for IFEC. By prioritizing “rights-aware” automation, edge-based content delivery solutions and data-driven insights through WestIQ, it is enabling carriers to transform from traditional content distributors into sophisticated digital experience partners.
West Entertainment President Kate Groth is taking part in a panel discussion titled “From Studio to Screen: Managing Rights within the Future Content Mix” at APEX TECH in LA on January 28 between 09:55 AM to 10:40 AM.