An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system includes a headend unit, and a plurality of seat electronic boxes (SEBs) spaced throughout the aircraft. The headend unit includes a digital satellite radio receiver. A local area network (LAN) connects the digital satellite radio receiver for providing digital satellite radio signals to the SEBs. The IFE system further includes a plurality of passenger control units (PCUs) connected to the plurality of SEBs, with each PCU permitting passenger selection of the digital satellite radio signals.