United Adds MLB Playoffs to Starlink Seatback Screens

By John Maximus · Published 12 October 2026
Reported from named sources and checked against the publishers linked in this article. Corrections: editorial and corrections policy.

United Airlines said on October 9 that passengers can now watch nearly every Major League Baseball postseason game live on seatback screens equipped with Starlink, after adding TBS to the live television lineup it carries from DISH, the US pay-TV operator. Starlink is SpaceX’s low-Earth-orbit satellite internet network, now sold to airlines as inflight Wi-Fi. The announcement was issued from Chicago through PR Newswire and carried by Yahoo Finance UK, which says the games include the ALCS, NLCS and World Series.

United says the live streaming feature is now on more than 200 planes, or about 900 flights per day. The full statement is on the airline’s PR Newswire release.

Key facts

• TBS joins a lineup United lists as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network and TNF on Prime Video.
• Since the service launched onboard last month, passengers have watched more than 170,000 hours of live television, the airline says.
• In September more than 5.4 million people — about a third of United’s customers — had Starlink on their flight, according to the release.
• United said at the September announcement that it had flown more than 31 million passengers on Starlink-powered aircraft across more than 464,000 flights, powering 14.2 million devices; the figures were also reported by Yahoo Finance and APEX.
• United says satisfaction scores are more than 40 points higher on Starlink-equipped planes than on those with other Wi-Fi service.
• United expects to complete Starlink installations in 2027.
• The channels are delivered using DISH’s OnStream platform, according to United’s September announcement.

Why it matters

United is pitching satellite connectivity as a booking reason rather than an amenity. Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said in the October release that quality inflight Wi-Fi is more important than ever to travellers and that Starlink gives people the same or better connectivity in the sky than they can get at home. The airline is pairing the sports push with a status match aimed at Delta and American frequent flyers.

Rival US carriers are making the same bet on the same hardware: American Airlines is taking Starlink to 1,030 mainline jets, a fleet commitment on roughly the scale United is working towards.

From football to baseball

The baseball addition builds on a DISH agreement United announced on September 17, reported by Yahoo Finance and in the airline’s September release. That deal put live professional and college football on seatback screens, with United saying the service would run on domestic flights through what it calls the big game in February.

United had already used the connection for live sports before the DISH tie-up: it says that in August it partnered with ESPN on a live Fantasy Football Draft from 30,000 feet, with analyst Tyler Fulghum making picks during the two-hour broadcast, and that earlier in the summer customers could stream the biggest soccer tournament in the world on Starlink-powered domestic flights.

DISH framed the partnership as a joint rewrite of inflight habits. “Whether you’re sitting on your couch or cruising at 35,000 feet, you should be able to watch your favorite teams play,” said Amir Ahmed, DISH’s executive vice president for video services, in remarks carried by APEX, the airline passenger experience association’s news service.

Fleet rollout

At the September announcement, United said Starlink was active on more than 560 mainline and United Express aircraft, and that it expected nearly 700 mainline planes to have the service by early next year, in time for February. APEX reported the same targets. The screens themselves are a parallel project: United says up to 1,000 aircraft should have seatback screens before the end of 2027, with more than 2,500 hours of content onboard, including Apple TV, HBO Max, A24 and Spotify.

Where the figures differ

The two releases do not line up exactly. United’s September summary points said live TV was on more than 220 mainline aircraft and up to 700 flights per day, while the body of the same release said more than 200 airplanes and about 700 flights per day; APEX used the 220 figure. The October release says more than 200 planes and about 900 flights per day. On timing, the September release said United expects to complete Starlink installations before the end of 2027, while the October release says in 2027. Nocella is identified as executive vice president and chief commercial officer in September, and as chief commercial officer in October.

Neither release addresses the differences, and United has published no clarification of the aircraft counts, the completion wording or Nocella’s title. This report therefore quotes both sets of figures as issued rather than choosing between them.

What the releases do not cover

Pricing is the biggest gap. Neither announcement gives a separate charge for the live channels or a fare for the connection itself; United’s only pricing statement is that Starlink is free for MileagePlus members in every class of service, and MileagePlus is free to join, which is how the airline reaches its “free for members” framing. What non-members pay, and what United pays SpaceX per aircraft, are not disclosed in either release.

Both releases also describe the live TV service on domestic flights only, with no mention of African or other international routes. The hardware itself is spreading well beyond the US fleet, though: Royal Air Maroc picked Starlink for 41 aircraft and Vietjet ordered it for 120, neither with a live sports package attached.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can passengers watch a game on the seatback screen and use Starlink on a phone at the same time?

Yes. According to APEX, passengers can watch a game on the seatback screen while using Starlink on another device to follow a fantasy team, message friends or stream a different game. United’s Andrew Nocella described flyers changing a fantasy roster, texting or live chatting, or streaming on a phone, laptop or tablet.

How can Delta or American Airlines flyers try Starlink on United?

United’s October release says it is offering a status match to Delta and American loyalty programme members. Customers must meet a spend requirement on United flights both purchased and flown within a 90-day period, and qualifying customers get United Premier status benefits through January 31, 2028, with details at United.com/switchtobetterwifi.