Though yet to reach mainstream adoption, in-car Internet radio is likely old news to industry professionals and RAIN readers. But have you listened to web radio at 30,000 feet yet? It seems in-flight Wi-Fi usage and availability is on the rise, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Currently 1,700 planes in the U.S. offer web access with about 8% of passengers using in-flight Wi-Fi. That's up from 4% in 2010 and research company In-Stat predicts it will reach 10% by the end of 2012. "People are beginning to expect you to have Wi-Fi everywhere," said In-Stat.
Virgin America says about 16% of passengers pay for in-flight Wi-Fi. And a Delta representative said, "We're seeing very, very rapid growth." Such experiences have prompted airlines to install in-flight Wi-Fi in more planes and come up with new ways to lower pricing.
Delta says the most popular website accessed during flights is (surprise) Facebook. But with WSJ pegging growth on the rising popularity of tablets, there's got to be some web radio streaming going on up in the clouds.
The Wall Street Journal has more coverage here.
With so many devices and so much content, consumers often multitask and abosrb multiple forms of media at the same time. "For marketers, the downside of multitasking is self-evident: a distracted audience," writes eMarketer.
TuneIn's web radio directory will now include programs and podcasts from The Wall Street Journal Radio Network, as well as stations from Buckley Radio.
It may not be much for looks, but the Fulljoin NMP001 is a wireless Internet radio receiver (plus it can play your music collection) for under a hundred bucks.
