Network Deals: NBC Flies on American

Two network groups announced very different carriage deals this morning. American Airlines has picked up NBC networks for inflight entertainment, while Verizon is picking up Disney-owned network fare for its Vcast mobile video offering.

American Airlines and NBC University reached an agreement to begin inflight broadcasting beginning March 1. NBCU will produce four, exclusive 90-minute programs per month for the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier, plus provide a variety of its regular programming for domestic and international flights. NBC’s stable includes the Peacock net itself, USA, Bravo, Sci Fi, Oxygen, CNBS and MSNBC. News, sports and films from Universal Pictures are included in the deal. American does 3,400 daily flights.

Verizon meanwhile has picked up full episodes of “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost” and “Ugly Betty,” as well as Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” and others for its mobile Vcast service. The shows will be available on Vcast on demand the day after they air. ESPN will chip in news and sports clips. Vcast is available at $3 a pop for $24 hours, or $15 a month for a regular subscription.