Content steals the spotlight with Stellar Entertainment
This is a special feature from PAX Tech's October 2024 APEX Global EXPO issue
In The Spotlight categories onboard Air India
On the heels of Stellar Entertainment marking its 50th anniversary with the unveiling of its refreshed brand identity that symbolizes “a celebration of its rich history and a bold step forward into the future,” the content service provider is working with Air India to diversify its inflight entertainment offerings in a fresh, innovative way.
When Stellar and Skyscreen onboarded Air India as a client, the content service providers significantly expanded the airline's content library to feature 700 movies, more than 1,400 TV shows and 1,200 audio options.
(Left to right) Sophie Leahy, Senior Manager, Programming
& Client Service, Stellar Entertainment; Ricky Jardine, SVP Business Strategy &
Development, Stellar Entertainment; Dave Reid, Manager, Client Service,
Stellar Entertainment
“Given the vast variety of content from India, the U.S., the U.K. and beyond, our strategy focused on making this diverse selection more accessible,” Ricky Jardine, SVP Business Strategy & Development, Stellar Entertainment, tells PAX Tech. Stellar then looked beyond categories with high viewing rates to see what else it could do for Air India passengers. That is when the Spotlight Series was born.
Stellar and its India-based entertainment partner Skyscreen have collaborated to bring the Spotlight Series to life onboard Air India. The Spotlight Series is a rotating selection of inflight entertainment content that features curated TV, movie and audio collections for passengers to enjoy.
“The Spotlight section leverages a fully dynamic UI (user interface), as we continuously refresh our approach with each cycle to highlight different facets of the content,” Jardine explains. “With each update, the project’s goal is to enhance discovery, taking a holistic approach to curating a mix of the biggest and latest hits alongside lesser known, critically acclaimed titles.”
The Spotlight Series showcases these selections by highlighting an artist, a director or broader themes and events. With each cycle, Stellar and Skyscreen bring an intentional selection of content offerings into the cabin. The duration of each Spotlight varies, typically lasting between one and three months. Air India tells PAX Tech that, together with Stellar and Skyscreen, it has developed a 30-month content calendar for the Spotlight Series.
“While much content stands on its own merit, we review and create thematic mixes that resonate with passengers— whether blending local and international content or focusing specifically on Indian or Western selections,” says Sophie Leahy, Senior Manager, Programming & Client Service, Stellar Entertainment.
A special content
curation process
A passenger enjoying the Spotlight Series onboard Air India
The specificity of the content in the Spotlight Series means that it takes considerably more time to plan than usual programming. Leahy explains that this is due to the need to ensure the right mix of content, considering both the featured themes and the passenger profile.
Each cycle, Stellar works closely with Skyscreen to decide how best to highlight the onboard content.
“Introducing a category like ‘Spotlight’ allows us to showcase the breadth and creativity of our entertainment options, giving the content a distinctive feel that is unique to Air India,” says Swatee Dobriyal, Communications Lead, Air India.
The programming team works many cycles in advance, factoring in upcoming releases and calendar events to help shape the content.
“We aim to find fresh approaches that celebrate quirky, fun or interesting selections, giving the content a distinctive feel,” says Leahy.
She adds that the biggest challenge is striking the correct balance between enough options and making the selection too niche.
“It’s essential to cater to as many passengers as possible,” Leahy explains. She says she views each cycle as an exciting challenge, requiring a different approach to the service provider’s regular programming, but one that allows for more creativity.
From local to global
audiences
Dave Reid, Manager, Client Ser-vice, Stellar Entertainment, says the
feedback to the Spotlight Series has
been “overwhelmingly positive.”
The content extends beyond movies and TV shows to include audio options as well. For movies, they offer a variety of approaches to viewing content onboard including themes, genres, artists or events.
“On the audio side, we have created bespoke playlists that celebrate artists or themes in unique ways, allowing passengers to fully immerse themselves,” reveals Reid.
The selection also includes curated collections that showcase an artist’s body of work or a mix of classic albums. Reid says that by using the expertise of Skyscreen to highlight local content, Stellar has ensured that each Spotlight cycle resonates with audiences in India and international passengers.
Highlighting the best of Indian and Western content combined, the Spotlight series includes a category called “She Directs,” which focuses on female directors, and “Billion Dollar Club” which features movies that have grossed more US$1 billion at the box office.
Stellar and Skyscreen have more innovative Spotlights in the pipeline, including “The Badshah of Bollywood” featuring Shah Rukh Khan and “The Pet Collective” featuring favourite pet movies on tap for November.
“We constantly assess and reassess our content choices each cycle, considering guest feedback, entertainment data and suggestions from our agencies. Our commitment is to provide a world-class travel experience to keep our IFE offerings fresh,” says Dobriyal.
Content comes first
For the team at Stellar, content always comes first.
“We have a team of creative content experts and regional specialists from around the world who are passionate about exploring new opportunities for onboard features. Our close relationships with Hollywood majors, independents and specialists give us access to the best content,” says Jardine.
He also sees communication as a key aspect of meeting an airline’s expectations when programming each content cycle. Passengers now have an abundance of movies and TV available to them on the ground at all times, so Stellar is aiming to meet and exceed this level of expectation inflight.
To support this, Stellar’s clients utilize the Stellar IFE Portal, a cloud-based platform designed as a one-stop gateway for airlines to manage their inflight entertainment. Powered by Stellar’s content management system, pixL™, this allows for a streamlined approach to programming, analytics and day-to-day IFE management.
“We aim to make the seatback entertainment so engaging that passengers won’t turn to their personal devices,” Jardine concludes. “With our creative approach to curation, we are confident that inflight entertainment remains the preferred choice onboard.”
