Good news for sports fans: Lufthansa is now offering live sports TV from Sports 24. The signal is transmitted directly onboard by satellite via Lufthansa's FlyNet broadband Internet service and from there to the entertainment system. Even better: Unlike the Internet access, this service, which is already available on three recently delivered Airbus A330s, is free of charge for passengers.
Content will include coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the NFL Super Bowl, Wimbledon and French Open action, UEFA European Football Championship (opening match, all German matches, finals), Formula-1 races and golf’s Ryder Cup and U.S. Open. The channel will also broadcast Bundesliga (as of the 2012/13 season) and Premier League matches.
In addition, Lufthansa will soon have the Rave system by California-based IMS Company on its long-haul flights. Beginning next spring, passengers on board B747-400s, A340-600s, A340-300s and A330-300s will be able to use the system like a tablet, swiping a touch screen (Economy Class) or by using a remote control with one-finger navigation (First and Business Class). Since the program content is stored in each individual seat display unit, it can be accessed even without connection to the server.
