Streaming on the Go: Ground Transportation Gains Inspiration From In-Flight Entertainment
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This article is an excerpt from “One Good Idea Deserves Another,” originally published in the Innovation Issue of APEX Experience magazine.
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In-flight entertainment (IFE), whether showing on overhead screens or seatbacks or streaming to passengers’ electronic devices, is practically expected as a part of the air travel experience nowadays. For those in transit on the ground, entertainment is viewed as more of a luxury commodity, but that may be changing.
“[Entertainment] needs to be there for other mass transport systems. That’s how we hit upon the idea of starting something like Fropcorn,” says Kartik Poddar, cofounder of the video-on-demand platform that allows bus commuters in India to stream Bollywood movies and other content to their personal devices. “The whole idea was, how can we bring quality entertainment to people when they’re traveling?”
“The whole idea was, how can we bring quality entertainment to people when they’re traveling?” €” Kartik Poddar, Fropcorn
For a small fee, passengers can use the onboard Wi-Fi to access hundreds of movies from the Fropcorn server, which has been installed on 200 buses in India, and is in the process of expanding to allow users to download any unfinished movie so they can keep watching after their stop. Continuous onboard entertainment delivered through an offline server has also been explored for airlines by Dutch-based company MI Airline, manufacturers of AirFi, which has envisioned a journey where the passenger stays connected from bus to shuttle to airport to airplane, all on a single IFE platform.
In China, high-speed train trips are an opportunity to indulge in watching movies. Subscribers to YOU Cinema, a Netflix-like platform, have access to Hollywood content and other full-length features through C-Media Wi-Fi, the largest Internet service provider for a rail system in China. “The captive nature of a train car where travelers have several hours of quiet and uninterrupted time blends itself seamlessly to watching high-quality long-form video,” says Weicheng Liu, CEO of YOU On Demand.
“The captive nature of a train car where travelers have several hours of quiet and uninterrupted time blends itself seamlessly to watching high-quality long-form video.” €” Weicheng Liu, YOU On Demand.
Even Uber, the cab-industry disruptor, is taking cues from IFE. During New York Fashion Week last year, the company distributed its own printed in-car city guide, and last October, it partnered with AT&T to stream college football games live, off a 4G LTE network, so passengers wouldn’t have to miss a second of the action.