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 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.

"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," said Stefan Kurten, Director of the Eurovision Operations Department.

"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," said Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsat's Regional Vice President, Europe and Middle East.

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

Intelsat's Industry-leading Services for the Summer Olympics
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.

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