The Number One Way to Stream Content at Sea

Life at sea presents unique challenges, and ensuring the wellbeing of seafarers is paramount. Connectivity to home, safe working conditions, and access to leisure facilities are key to a better life at sea. While movies and TV provide a source of comfort and community onboard, streaming content at sea faces significant hurdles.

The Data Dilemma of Streaming at Sea

In today’s digital age, where data consumption is at an all-time high, the average household devours a staggering 600GB per month. Even streaming just one hour of high-definition entertainment can use up to 3GB of data.⁽²⁾

With the rise of streaming platforms dominating onshore entertainment, the question arises: how does this trend fare at sea?

The emergence of Starlink and other new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks are boosting the available data speeds and dramatically reducing the costs for data on ships. On the surface, this makes the idea of streaming feasible, but the reality is more complex.

One major tanker fleets experience with an LEO connectivity service reported throttling their crew data usage to 1GB per day, which is great for daily use of social media, internet browsing, and communicating with family and friends ashore. However, using this data allowance for streaming would be insufficient.

So, streaming movies and entertainment at sea could eat your crew’s data allocation within a week…or even a day!

This isn’t just a matter of impacting business operations and costs; it extends to the morale of the crew.

So, how do we address this challenge?

The KVH Link Solution

Enter KVH Link, an all-in-one content hub designed to cater to the unique needs of life at sea. With hundreds of movies, TV shows, sports, and more, accessible on any device, KVH Link not only saves bandwidth but also liberates data for the crew to connect with family and friends ashore, fostering a sense of connection.

Versatile options enable group viewing using the KVH Link Set-top Box while individual crew can quickly and easily get access to all of the content using a browser, laptop, or via the KVH Link smartphone apps.

KVH Link content is delivered via the KVH ONE global HTS network, along with KVH’s TracNet hybrid and TracPhone VSAT terminals, all without consuming the vessel’s monthly data allocation.

Don’t have a KVH VSAT system onboard? No problem, KVH offers the compact linkHUB content server, delivering linkHUB movie and TV programs monthly via secure, encrypted content drives, ensuring that ships receive entertaining content while maximizing onboard cybersecurity.

KVH Link: Your All-in-One Solution

But what sets KVH Link/linkHUB apart?

• Exclusive Early Releases: Crew members enjoy access to titles unavailable on domestic streaming platforms for months or even years, ensuring your crew don’t miss out on the latest titles.
• News from Home: KVH Link delivers 60+ daily newspapers in 20 languages plus daily TV news programs, enabling crew to keep connected to what’s going on at home.
• Cultural Diversity: Tailored content that reflects the demographics of the crew, including world cinema titles from India, the Philippines, Greece, Eastern Europe, and beyond.
• Curation Sensitivity: A carefully curated selection that respects cultural and political sensitivities, ensuring a relevant and inclusive entertainment experience.
• Legal Compliance: All content is covered by requisite licenses for viewing at sea, a critical consideration for blue-chip companies committed to compliance.
• Content at No Data Cost: KVH can deliver as much as 500 GB of news, sports and entertainment content per month to each vessel without using the ship’s data plan or affecting onboard speeds.

Benefits Beyond Entertainment

The advantages of KVH Link/linkHUB extend beyond mere entertainment, positively impacting both crew dynamics and regulatory compliance.

• Promoting Social Cohesion: With KVH Link/linkHUB’s extensive movie and TV options, karaoke, music, and social videos, crew can enjoy multiple reasons to gather in recreational areas to spend downtime together, fostering social bonds and a positive onboard atmosphere.
• Navigating Global Restrictions: Major streaming services like Netflix and Amazon set viewing restrictions globally, with VPN bans and IP address limitations. KVH Link/linkHUB ensures uninterrupted access to entertainment, even in the face of tightening regulations.
• MLC2006 Compliance: Supporting compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, KVH Link/linkHUB aligns with recommendations for ship managers to provide regularly updated entertainment libraries, contributing to the overall well-being of the crew.

Make the smart choice for your crew’s wellbeing and your company’s data plans – choose direct content at sea with KVH Link/linkHUB. Sail into the future of entertainment with confidence and connectivity.

Do you want to revolutionize your crew experience while saving data and costs? Get in touch today!

If you already have a KVH VSAT onboard, KVH Link is for you.

Don’t have a KVH VSAT systems onboard or have a fleet with multiple VSAT providers? KVH linkHUB is for you!

1. https://www.allconnect.com/blog/report-internet-use-over-half-terabyte
2. https://www.popsci.com/reviews/how-much-data-does-streaming-live-tv-use/#:~:text=Generally%2C%20streaming%20and%20live%20TV,you%20understand%20your%20internet%20usage.