Advertisement
Business

Row 44 signs deal to stream TV news stations on airline flights

By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
Share

Row 44 Inc., an in-flight broadband Internet provider based in Westlake Village, said it signed a deal with an array of television news stations to deliver live streaming video to onboard passengers.

Under the deal, passengers will be able to watch Fox News, MSNBC and BBC World News; live business news from CNBC, Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Television; and sports on NBC Sports Network.

It is the second major announcement for the firm in two weeks. Last week, Row 44 inked a deal with Major League Baseball to stream live games to passengers’ smartphones, laptops, tablets and other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Advertisement

Row 44, named after the last row on a DC-10 commercial jet, uses a network of telecommunications satellites belonging to Hughes Network Systems. By tapping into Hughes’ network, Row 44 has the potential to provide worldwide Internet access.

The company has more than 40 employees spread across offices in Westlake Village, Las Vegas and Lombard, Ill.

Southwest Airlines is in the process of wiring its fleet with Row 44’s in-flight broadband system. The carrier is offering the service to passengers for $5.

Row 44’s technology could be used on other carriers in the future.

william.hennigan@latimes.com

More to Read

Business
W.J. Hennigan

W.J. Hennigan covered the Pentagon and national security issues from Washington, D.C., before leaving the Los Angeles Times bureau in November 2017. While there, he reported on war, counter-terrorism, and the lives of American service members from more than two dozen countries and previously covered the aerospace and defense industry from Los Angeles. Hennigan earned awards from the National Press Club, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and was a contributor to the Los Angeles Times coverage of the terror attacks in San Bernardino that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2016.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Advertisement