Las Vegas — U.S. telecommunications company AT&T and rental car company Avis Budget Group announced a deal Thursday that would allow travellers in the United States to rent vehicles equipped with satellite television service.

AT&T's satellite TV service, called Cruisecast, is slated to begin at the end of March, promising 22 channels of satellite TV and 20 of satellite radio at launch, the company said Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Installing the service isn't cheap, however. The system will cost $1,299 US plus installation, with a monthly service fee of $28. Automobiles will also have to already possess in-car television capability.

But the deal with the rental car companies potentially brings the service to a more mass-market audience. The service will be available at some Avis and Budget Rent A Car locations in the U.S. for $8.99 a day.

The AT&T announcement is just the latest from the electronics show to focus on in-car entertainment.

On Wednesday, Audiovox Corp. said it would make an in-car receiver for Qualcomm Inc.'s subscription-based mobile TV broadcasts to bring a version of Audiovox's MediaFLO TV service for cellphones to rear-seat entertainment systems. No pricing was announced as part of that partnership, though the companies said the service is expected to be available toward the end of 2009.

And Ford chief executive officer Alan Mulally used a speech at the show on Thursday to announce a host of new in-car electronics and features, including the possibility of integrating third-party software and services — such as a website like Facebook — into cars.