Southwest Airlines Brings Cartoon Network To Free Inflight Entertainment

Southwest Airlines and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. announced it will add Cartoon Network to the carrier's inflight entertainment portal,

which streams free live television programming to passengers' Wi-Fi-equipped personal electronic devices at all phases of flight, compliments of DISH(R).

Content from Cartoon Network's popular programming such as Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Ben 10 Omniverse is now available for inflight viewing.

Cartoon Network is the airline's first complete child-centric programming being offered onboard all Southwest Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft, representing nearly 80 percent of the airline's fleet.

The streaming TV service is provided through leading inflight content and connectivity partner Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. Cartoon Network programming is being provided by Turner Private Networks, a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting that creates and distributes content for out-of-home networks.

"The addition of Cartoon Network to our breadth of programming is a big win for Southwest and our Customers," said Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines Chief Marketing Officer.

"This partnership with Turner and GEE continues to drive Customer value for our brand and even more choices for entertainment onboard."

"We're thrilled to partner with Southwest Airlines to offer some of our most popular programming from Cartoon Network to its passengers," said Debbie Cooper, president of Turner Private Networks.

"Being the first children's network to be added to their TV lineup speaks volumes about the value of Cartoon Network and the importance of offering child-friendly content inflight as a viewing option for families during travel."

"As Southwest's partner to drive an enhanced and engaging passenger flight experience, we're excited to continue to add new services and content for passengers of all ages," said Wale Adepoju, EVP Customer Solutions for Global Eagle Entertainment.

"We're seeing a rapidly growing trend among airlines to increase the content available to passengers. The addition of the Cartoon Network to Southwest's already broad live television offering is an excellent example of this."

Global Eagle Entertainment's live television platform is available to more than 100 million passengers each year on Southwest Airlines.

It represents the first commercial offering of live television, operating via Internet Protocol television (IPTV) technology, streamed to passengers' own Wi-Fi-enabled devices, and allows them to choose what to watch and stay connected to the world.

The live television service is available to Customers gate-to-gate, and is currently free of charge to passengers, compliments of DISH(R).