I was in a
VB 737-700 (VH-VBY) with one of these on Friday. The machine was getting booted around by moderate turbulence and the satellite antenna lost the plot -- they put up a thing on the screen that says, "Due to normal aircraft movement, the TV program is temporarily unavailable."
And these things offer proof that the poorer people are, the more they spend. I was sitting in the row behind a family of three (mum, dad, and little girl). Based on demeanour and appearance, these were clearly not billionaires on holiday. Of course, there was no question that the pay TV would be bought, lest they go the duration of the 75-minute flight without TV. What blew my mind was that ALL THREE of the family members, sitting together, had to pay the $5 for the TV service.
Call it a stupid-tax, I guess.