United teams up with DISH to stream live football via Starlink

On 17 September 2026, United Airlines announced an agreement with DISH to stream live professional and college football games on seatback screens powered by Starlink satellite connectivity. The live programming is running through the championship game in February on domestic flights.

The service relies on the DISH OnStream platform to deliver channels including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network, and Thursday Night Football on Prime Video. Live television is currently available on more than 200 Starlink-equipped airplanes, covering about 700 flights per day. United expects to expand the setup to nearly 700 mainline planes early next year, with fleet-wide installations scheduled to finish before the end of 2027. Starlink remains free for MileagePlus members across every cabin class.

United said Starlink is active on more than 560 mainline and United Express aircraft. To date, the carrier has transported more than 31 million passengers across more than 464,000 Starlink flights, connecting 14.2 million devices. Fleet retrofits will add seatback screens to up to 1,000 aircraft before late 2027, including 27-inch 4K OLED screens on select new deliveries alongside a catalog of more than 2,500 hours of content.

The sports deal complements United's sponsorships of nine professional football franchises. The carrier plans to operate more than 200 charter flights for 11 teams this season, including international charter service for the Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers for games in London, Paris, and Mexico City.