(14 June 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Satellite service provider Intelsat which has provided coverage of every Olympic Games since 1968 has announced that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has signed a multi-transponder deal for the video carriage of the 2008 Summer Games to Europe.

The EBU will use C-/Ku-band cross-strap capacity on the Intelsat 706 satellite, located at 50.2 degrees East, to distribute the all high-definition (HD) event to its members. The EBU, of which a large proportion of the major European broadcasters are members, provides a full range of network services, including but not limited to HD transmissions to broadband video carriage.

Eurovision operations department director Stefan Kürten says, “By using Intelsat to deliver the Summer Games, we are confident that our members will benefit from the reliable service Intelsat offers when it comes to large scale events”.

Intelsat regional VP, Europe and Middle East Jean-Philippe Gillet says, “We are the only satellite operator able to offer cross-strapped C-band uplink and Ku-band downlink capacity from Beijing, enabling direct Ku-band reception into Europe for the EBU.

“The 2008 Summer Games provides another milestone in Intelsat’s unsurpassed track record in successfully supporting live, global HD transmissions.”

Intelsat will be on site in Beijing providing managed services to both the rights holding and non-rights holding broadcasters. Services will include:

· Managed platforms for encoding and multiplexing,

· Transmission services via the Intelsat global network to virtually any destination in the world,

· Managed fiber services,

· Turn-around services on the Intelsat network to include standards conversion, re-mux and data/IP,

· Live shot position, with backdrop of the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Green,

· Multi-format tape play-out services, and

· Feed point connected to a fixed uplink in Beijing.