TRACE Selects Eutelsat's EUROBIRD™ 9A Satellite to Broadcast its Platform of HD Channels Across Europe and Middle East

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Sep 08, 2011, 04:59 ET

PARIS, September 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

TRACE, the fast-growing media brand specialised in music and sports celebrities content, is strengthening its relationship with Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) via a five-year contract for capacity and uplinking services on the EUROBIRD™ 9A satellite. The new deal gives TRACE an exceptional footprint to broadcast across Europe and the Middle East its three high definition thematic networks, TRACE Urban HD, TRACE Tropical HD and the recently-launched TRACE Sports HD. As part of the agreement with Eutelsat, its Skylogic affiliate is uplinking the three channels from its teleport in Turin (Italy).

Satellite delivery of the three channels via EUROBIRD™ 9A will enable TRACE to reach multiple European and Middle East cable, DSL, mobile and DTH platforms, including Eutelsat's KabelKiosk digital cable platform which last month enriched its HD portfolio of channels with TRACE's HD content.

"Eutelsat has been an exceptional satellite partner since the launch of the first TRACE channel in 2003. By October this year, TRACE will have a total of nine channel feeds broadcasting via Eutelsat satellites to a vast audience across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Over 90% of our channel content is already in native HD and this new agreement will help us to significantly enhance viewer experience. Before HD, our viewers were just watching music videos. With HD, they are now IN the videos. We have the same great visual feeling with TRACE Sports HD, our new Sports Celebrities channel that delivers a total immersionin the lives of champions," says Olivier Laouchez, Founder, Chairman & CEO of TRACE.

Andrew Wallace, Eutelsat Chief Commercial Officer, added: "Eutelsat has been a pioneering HD satellite solutions provider since HD went mainstream, and today our satellites broadcast over 220 HD channels. We are delighted to deepen our longstanding partnership with TRACE through a new contract to broadcast their growing stable of HD content. This agreement further demonstrates our commitment to supporting creativity and innovation in our core satellite television business."

About TRACE

Launched in 2003, TRACE is an international brand and media group dedicated to producing and distributing music and sports celebrities content to multicultural audiences via all digital platforms. Headquartered in Paris, TRACE is owned by its management and 2 investment funds and has operations in 152 countries.

http://www.trace.tv

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 30 June 2011, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,800 television channels. More than 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD™ 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 just over 700 commercial, technical and operational employees from 30 countries.