Eutelsat Chosen by Eurosport for Pan-European Distribution of the Panasonic 3D Experience During Roland Garros Tennis Championship

PARIS, May 26, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Capacity on the HOT BIRD(TM) 6 TV satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has been chosen by Eurosport to broadcast to retail stores the first ever pan-European multi-day 3D TV event for the duration of the two weeks of the French Tennis Open, from May 23 to June 6. All games from the Roland Garros Centre Court, are now available live on a dedicated Eurosport 3D signal and will run through to the men's and women's finals.

The 3D signals are being transmitted to HOT BIRD(TM) 6 at 13degrees East for reception by thousands of retail outlets and business clients in 28 countries across Europe. The images are displayed on Panasonic's state-of-the-art Viera VT20 3D Plasma TVs, giving consumers the unique opportunity to experience world-class sport in immersive high-quality 3D. The event is showcasing the potential of sport as a driver for the consumer 3D market and Panasonic's full end-to-end 3D capabilities, from 3D cameras on court, to new-generation consumer displays.

Pascal Crochemore, Technical Director at Eurosport welcomed the partnership with Eutelsat: "We are delighted that Eutelsat has agreed to partner with Eurosport for the distribution of the French Open Tennis Grand Slam 3D signal. Eutelsat is a longstanding partner of Eurosport and we are happy to build on the strong relationship that we enjoy through this latest exciting initiative."

Olivier Millies-Lacroix, Eutelsat Commercial Director responded: "This partnership with Eurosport plays to two core assets of our broadcast satellites: the ability to deliver a signal across a broad international footprint, and the bandwidth to transmit a new generation of rich content requiring a 12 Mbit/s signal to fully appreciate stunning 3D effects. We are delighted to be Eurosport's chosen partner for delivering this compelling content to Panasonic 3D sets across Europe."

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 26 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 31 March 2010, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,500 television channels. More than 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ nearly 650 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.

    http://www.eutelsat.com

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SOURCE Eutelsat Communications