HOT BIRD™ TV AWARDS 2011: NOMINEE CHANNELS ANNOUNCED. Record 160 channels participate in this year’s event for thematic satellite TV channels. Voting now open for the People’s Choice Award!

Paris, 3 October 2011

The nominations were announced today for this year’s HOT BIRD™ TV Awards, the unique international broadcasting event celebrating the achievements of thematic satellite TV channels.

A record 160 channels from vibrant and competitive TV markets entered this year’s event. Original programming, quality production and new concepts were the criteria guiding the jury of media experts that met for two days in Paris and selected channels from 13 countries. Their choice of winners will be announced and honoured on Friday November 25 at a gala ceremony in Venice in the Scuola Grande of San Giovanni Evangelista.

Duilio Giammaria, Chairman of the jury, commented on this year’s participants: “Year on year, the members of the jury of the HOT BIRD™ TV Awards are impressed by the capability of content producers to innovate, seek originality and create trends. This excellence deserves recognition and we are delighted to be part of an event that rewards their constant effort and investment.”

The nominations for 2011 are:

Votes open for People’s Choice Award!

This year’s event again includes the People’s Choice Award, won by the channel with the largest number of votes from viewers. All participating channels are eligible to take part in the People’s Choice, with viewers invited to vote through each channel’s website and key industry sites including eutelsattvawards.com, broadbandtvnews.com, eutelsat.com, eurovisioni.it, satexpo.com and lyngsat.com.

The HOT BIRD™ TV Awards Jury includes experts from leading publications and TV associations: Jerzy Barski, Tv-Sat Magazine (Poland), Jacques Braun, Eurodata Tv (France), Sergey Buntman, Echo de Moscow (Russia), Paolo Dalla Chiara, Pentastudio (Italy), Paolo Lutteri EGTA (Europe), Giovanna Maggioni, Upa (Italy), Fusun Nebil, Turk Internet (Turkey), Giacomo Mazzone, Eurovisioni (Europe), Mimi Turner, The Hollywood Reporter (Europe). Jury Chairman, Duilio Giammaria, Rai (Italy); technical expert Mauro Roffi, Millecanali (Italy).

The HOT BIRD™ TV AWARDS is an event promoted by Eutelsat, Europe’s leading satellite operator, in collaboration with Eurovisioni, a European festival dedicated to cinema and television and SAT Expo, the international exhibition of advanced digital and satellite telecommunications. This year’s event is sponsored by Thales Alenia Space and Astrium.

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. As of 30 June 2011, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting more than 3,800 television channels. More than 1,100 channels are broadcast via its HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East alone 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 professionals from 30 countries. .www.eutelsat.com

About SAT Expo

SAT Expo is the brand dedicated to services, space applications and integrated telecommunications (via satellite, HDTV, IPTV, 3D cinema via satellite, DTT, new bands and new services). Next events by SAT Expo are AllDigital Expo, the professional forum on digital technologies (with the 3rd National Meeting of the Digital Installer) at the Vicenza Fair next 22 and 23 June 2012 (3rd edition) and Estel Conference, the first international IEEE-AESS Conference in Europe about Space and Satellite Telecommunications, 2 to 5 October 2012 in Rome at the Fontana di Trevi Conference Centre.

www.alldigitalexpo.it –  www.estelconference.org

About Eurovisioni

Eurovisioni, International Festival of Cinema and Television, was created in 1987 and now on its 25th edition. Eurovisioni 2011 (from 16 to 19 October) received the patronage of the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the Presidency of Italy’s Council of Ministers, the Italian Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, and others. The initiative includes support from Eutelsat, RAI, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, SACEM, Sky Italia, Canal +, ARD, France Télévisions, RTVE, TOR Film Production.

www.eurovisioni.it

Press Contacts HOT BIRD^TM TV Awards:

Eutelsat: Vanessa O’Connor, Tel. +33 1 53 98 38 91, e-mail: voconnor@eutelsat.fr

Promospace: Benedetta Nicodemo – Tel. +39 0444 543 133 – bnicodemo@pentastudio.it

Organisation:

Promospace – Tel. +39 0444 543 133 – e-mail: hba@promospace.it