After over 20 years serving the in-flight entertainment (IFE) market, San Diego, US-based Captive Entertainment (Captive) is broadening its focus from feature film distribution for airline and non-theatrical markets to include television programming.
To achieve this, the company has appointed Shaiza Lalji as Director of Non-Theatrical Sales & Acquisitions. She spent over a decade working for content service providers (CSPs) in a variety of roles across account management, programming, creative production, and global publicity before exploring other options following the pandemic. Now, Lalji said she is delighted to be back in non-theatrical.
“Airlines and buyers are programming more episodic content than ever.”
On the expansion of Captive’s catalog, she explained, “It felt like a natural evolution […] Airlines and buyers are programming more episodic content than ever, and passengers are gravitating toward shorter-form series that are easy to jump into mid-flight. Expanding into TV was really about responding to that shift thoughtfully in a way that felt intentional, not reactive.”
In the four months since she took on the role, the company’s catalog has scaled rapidly to more than 2,000 individual pieces of content, representing over 1,000 hours of programming. The TV slate spans all major regions, territories, and demographics, and reflects a curated approach that combines premium branded series, festival-recognized titles, and Emmy-winning and nominated programming across travel, lifestyle, sports, history, science, wildlife, entertainment, reality, and family content.
She confirmed that approximately 98 per cent of Captive Entertainment’s TV catalog carries worldwide non-theatrical rights.
Titles being highlighted during the 2026 APEX Content Market in Dubai include NFL Pro docuseries Offseason, which Lalji believes the company’s biggest title right now. “With the Super Bowl this weekend while everyone is traveling to Dubai, they’ll either catch the game or miss it, but we’ve made Offseason available in March just in time to satisfy the void now that the season is coming to an end after this weekend.”
Other highlights include content from CBS broadcast’s Destination Channel, including This is Golf. Likewise, Captive Entertainment holds the rights for the Destination Channel’s Emmy award-winning Staycation series, and will also be launching Staycation International in Dubai next week.
Additional TV programming launching at APEX Content Market includes Cars.TV, an Emmy-award winning series with 24 seasons showcasing auto show premieres, private collections, customizations, and industry innovations; as well as Emmy-nominated series The American Athlete. With 30 seasons under its belt, the show takes an in-depth look at athletes on and off the field.
“It’s a curated approach that balances discovery with practicality and evolves as those needs continue to change.”
Lalji continued, “Our strategy starts with staying closely aligned with what partners actually need, particularly airlines, but also CSP programmers, while offering something that feels fresh and current. The goal is to help buyers stay on trend without drifting away from their brand, audience expectations, or onboard experience. It’s a curated approach that balances discovery with practicality and evolves as those needs continue to change.”
Captive’s goal at APEX Content Market is to “bring a fresh mix of new content alongside evergreen titles that still feel relevant, grounded in a real understanding of how content lands when audiences are mid-journey, giving airlines programming that feels intentional, engaging, and globally in tune,” Lalji concluded.
In addition to television, Captive continues to represent a library of Oscar- and Emmy-winning and nominated feature films and documentaries, including 12 Years a Slave, The Cove, Racing Extinction, Song of the Sea, Faces Places, Midnight in Paris, Gosford Park, Howards End, Into the Wild, Blue Jasmine, The Wrestler, The Breadwinner, and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years, among others.
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