Eutelsat Chosen by Eurosport for 3D Transmission of 2010 Tennis US Open at IFA Show in Berlin

BERLIN, September 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Capacity on the EUROBIRD(TM) 9A satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has been chosen by Eurosport to transmit the TENNIS US Open in 3D for demonstrations at IFA - Europe's largest consumer electronics show held in Berlin from 3 -8 September. The US OPEN in 3D will be available on a dedicated Eurosport 3D signal for an exclusive broadcast on Panasonic's booth at IFA (hall 5.2 a/b).

The 3D signals are being transmitted to Panasonic's booth by the EUROBIRD(TM) 9A satellite that pioneered regular broadcasting of 3D content in Europe via a permanent channel launched by Eutelsat in 2009. The images are displayed on Panasonic's state-of-the-art Viera 3D Plasma TVs, giving the entire industry and consumers visiting the IFA 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 professional camcorders on court, to new-generation consumer Viera plasma displays.

Pascal Crochemore, Technical Director at Eurosport welcomed the partnership with Eutelsat: "We are delighted that Eutelsat has agreed to partner once again with Eurosport for the distribution of a 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."

Andrew Wallace, Eutelsat Chief Commercial Officer added: "This partnership with Eurosport leverages Eutelsat's 3D experience and the core asset of our broadcast satellites to deliver a new generation of rich content requiring a 15 Mbit/s signal to fully appreciate stunning 3D effects in the home. Following our collaboration with Eurosport for 3D transmissions of Roland Garros tennis in May this year, we are delighted to team once again with Europe's premier all-sports channel and to transmit this compelling sports content to Panasonic's 3D-enabled displays at IFA."

Fabien Roth, General Manager Panasonic Marketing Europe: "The excellent signal quality provided by Eurosport and Eutelsat gives us the unique opportunity to display the US Open in 3D at our IFA booth in Berlin as the only place in Europe. It demonstrates also that our 3D Viera plasma TVs are perfectly suited for sports events to show fast moving content in brilliant 3D picture quality."

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 30 June 2010, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,600 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 661 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

About Eurosport Group

The Eurosport Group is Europe's leading sports entertainment group. Eurosport, the no.1 pan-European TV channel, is broadcast in 20 languages reaching 120 million homes and 240 million viewers across 59 countries. Eurosport HD is the high definition simulcast of Eurosport. Eurosport 2, the new generation sports channel, broadcasts to 44 million households in 15 languages across 47 countries. Eurosport 2 HD was launched in August 2009. Eurosport Asia-Pacific reaches 14 countries in the region. Eurosportnews provides up-to-date sports TV news transmitted worldwide. Online, Eurosport has a network of dedicated sports websites in 10 different languages, including recently launched Eurosport Arabia reaching sports fans in the MENA region and award-nominated eurosport.yahoo.com. Eurosport is ranked as Europe's No.1 online sports destination and is visited by an average of 10 million unique users per month in 2010 (comScore)). Eurosport Mobile offers Live streaming, mobile sites and mobile applications in 9 languages providing LIVE sports news and results. Eurosport Events is the group's expert division in the organisation, management and promotion of international sporting events.

http://www.eurosportcorporate.com

About Panasonic

Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.42 trillion yen (EUR 56.6 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2010. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE: PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net.

At the cutting edge of 3D technology, Panasonic can offer a fully integrated solution for the 3D world - ranging from professional camcorders to create 3D content; via 3D authoring and encoding facilities; to 3D televisions and Blu-ray players, which will bring the 3D content to customers' living-rooms.

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications