Eutelsat Wins a "Crystal Antenna of the World of Media " Award for Poland's First Live Satellite Transmission in 3D

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Mar 24, 2011, 02:02 ET

WARSAW, Poland, March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eutelsat has been awarded a 'Crystal Antenna of the World of Media' for spearheading Poland's first live satellite transmission in 3D for CANAL + Cyfrowy, operator of the Cyfra +, premium TV platform in Poland. The Award was announced at the Great Gala Award ceremony, held in Warsaw on 23 March during the annual Telecommunication and Media World Symposium that assembles Poland's leading telecommunications and media market players.

The Crystal Award recognises Eutelsat's achievement in May 2010 of live satellite broadcasting in 3D of a football match between Wisla Krakow and Odra Wodzislaw. The match was uplinked by Eutelsat to the HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood and made available to Cyfra+ subscribers equipped with an HD decoder and a 3D display via the CANAL + 3D test channel. Eutelsat was supported for the event by DBW Communication for the filming and by the specialist provider Opensky.

Andrew Wallace, Eutelsat Chief Commercial Officer welcomed the Award: "We are delighted to have delivered this first 3D broadcast for Cyfra+, and for this effort to be recognized by Poland's media professionals. This Crystal Antenna of the World of Media Award inspires us to continue to work at pushing back the boundaries of satellite communications to offer users an ever enhanced viewing experience".

Eutelsat has been a pioneer satellite player for 3D in Europe, partnering with broadcasters, service providers and display manufacturers to showcase the potential of stereoscopic viewing for Direct-to-Home reception and for exceptional events shown on large screens in cinemas and public locations. More than 550 cinemas across Europe, including 16 in Poland, are part of a network developed by Eutelsat to offer viewers the opportunity for full 3D immersion in exceptional sports and cultural events.

About Canal+

CANAL + is the first premium Pay TV platform in Poland: over 500 premiers yearly, the latest hits from Hollywood, European and Polish cinema, as well as the richest sport offer - live reports and exclusive of the tournament's most popular sports. Its viewers are able to conveniently select the program and the duration of emission on CANAL+, CANAL + Film, Canal + Sport, Canal + Sport 2 and CANAL + GOL. CANAL + programs are also broadcast in high definition on CANAL + HD, CANAL + Sport HD and Canal + Film HD. Since December 2010 the materials in stereoscopic technologies are emitted on the channel CANAL + 3D. Channels are available on the digital platform CYFRA +, in more than 100 cable television networks as well as a separate offer under the name Multipakiet CANAL +. CANAL + is owned by CANAL + Cyfrowy, the platform operator of CYFRA + and broadcaster of TV channels.

http://www.canalpluscyfrowy.pl http://www.canalplus.pl http://www.cyfraplus.pl

About the "CRYSTAL ANTENNA OF MEDIA WORLD"

"CRYSTAL ANTENNA OF MEDIA WORLD" award accompanied Telecommunications and Media Symposium, one of the most important meetings of telecom and media industry in Poland. The competition is to honor people who have contributed to the development of telecommunications and the media in Poland, the popularization of the most exciting products and solutions, as well as the promotion of innovative technical ideas. The competition was established in 2009. The awards ceremony gathers every year hundreds of people, including executives of leading telecommunications companies in Poland and ICT, representatives of academia, politics and media.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 27 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 December 2010, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,700 television channels to over 200 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and 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 683 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.