Stellar Entertainment highlights the role of AI-powered solutions in IFE
This is a special feature from the November 2026 APEX FTE EXPO issue of PAX Tech on page 36.
Cosmo Vision helps Stellar’s team screen content for compliance by analyzing video, dialogue, subtitles and metadata against each customer’s requirements,
Entertainment will always be central to the onboard experience.
However, as Sam Allen, CEO of Stellar Entertainment, tells PAX Tech, the perfect combination of the latest generation of seatback technology, connectivity and prevalence of PEDs is creating opportunities that extend well beyond traditional entertainment.
Sam Allen, CEO, Stellar Entertainment
With the onboard screen increasingly becoming a platform for a much broader range of experiences and services, airlines can engage passengers in more relevant ways while opening up new commercial opportunities through advertising, retail and ancillary services.
Allen also sees a big role for AI, which has enormous personalization potential, whether the aircraft is connected or not.
“Whether it is recommending something to watch, serving more relevant advertising or suggesting retail offers based on passenger preferences, it makes the onboard experience more engaging and brings more value to airlines,” Allen explains.
As a practical example, Daniel Jacobs (DJ), COO of Stellar Entertainment, highlights Cosmo Vision, part of Stellar's proprietary AI technology family, Cosmo. It helps Stellar’s team screen content for compliance by analyzing video, dialogue, subtitles and metadata against each customer’s requirements, flagging anything that needs a closer look from specialists.
“The key is recognizing that connectivity itself does not automatically create value. It is what airlines do with that connectivity, and how effectively they use the resulting data and insights, that makes the difference,” Jacobs says.
Daniel Jacobs (DJ), COO, Stellar Entertainment
There are two main opportunities: improving the return on existing investments, particularly content licensing, and creating revenue streams, such as dynamic advertising, onboard retail, partner promotions and ancillary services.
“Technology is what connects better passenger experiences with stronger commercial results, but data alone does not have all the answers. You still need to understand each airline’s brand, network, passengers and priorities,” says Jacobs.
“Our focus is on developing hardware-agnostic solutions that can operate across different onboard environments,” Allen reveals.
On connected aircraft, that experience can go further, with dynamic content and better visibility of how passengers engage. On non-connected aircraft, the same content, advertising and services are still there, preloaded and ready to go.
“Ultimately, it is about giving airlines greater control over how they engage with passengers and earn revenue onboard with the flexibility to work across any hardware or system. It is an area we are investing heavily in, and one where we will have more to share in the coming months,” Allen says.
