Soon, passengers on three airlines will be able to sit back in their airline seats and watch a sporting event or other television program in real time instead of the single-channel canned entertainment most airlines currently provide.

DIRECTV, Inc., of El Segundo, CA, says its "DIRECTV Airborne" programming providing live satellite entertainment service for commercial airlines will debut this fall aboard Alaska Airlines and two startups, Legend of Dallas and JetBlue of New York.

Passengers aboard one Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400 aircraft and the entire fleet of Legend and JetBlue airlines will have a choice of 24 channels of satellite programming over LiveTV's Satellite Television In-Seat Video Systems.

Viewers will be able to select programs from providers that include four ESPN networks, Bloomberg Television, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, CNNfm, ZDTV and Animal Planet. Passengers will make their selections from a button at the seat.

LiveTV, a joint venture between Harris Corporation and Sextant In-Flight Systems, is providing the in-flight equipment which includes a low-profile antenna located in the top center of the aircraft's fuselage. It maintains constant communication with three DIRECTV satellites by use of two autonomous tracking systems.

"We're taking in-flight entertainment to a new level," said Terry Ferguson, business development and strategic planning VP at DIRECTV. "By offering their passengers an exciting variety of entertainment programming including the highly popular ESPN networks, these airlines will establish a unique presence in the marketplace."

He said flying sports fans will be able to watch their favorite sporting events and keep up with the latest scores from SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and ESPN2 Bottomline. ESPN's NFL Sunday Night Football will be available to Sunday night travelers during football season.

DIRECTV also provides entertainment for corporate aircraft through its "DIRECTV Airborne Office Choice" package that includes more than 55 popular networks, premium movie, and sports subscriptions services.