PR/41/08




WINNERS ANNOUNCED OF THE HOT BIRDTM TV AWARDS 2008



Paris, 17 November 2008

The winners of the HOT BIRDTM TV Awards, which recognizes excellence in thematic satellite television broadcasting, were honoured on November 14 at a gala ceremony in Venice.


The Awards are administered by a jury of media experts and organised annually by Eutelsat, together with Eurovisioni and Satexpo. This year’s event assembled broadcasting talent and innovation from over 130 thematic channels from 17 countries.


HOT BIRD™ TV AWARD Winners for 2008

CATEGORY

CHANNEL

LANGUAGE

HDTV

Melodyzen.Tv

French

Children’s

Raisat Smash

Italian

Cinema

Propeller TV

English

Culture/Education

Special Mention

365 Days TV

Edusat

Russian

Polish

Documentaries

The Biography Channel

German

Fiction

Fox

Italian

Lifestyle Joint winners

Special Mention

Special Mention

Alice

Türkmax

Fashion TV

Nigezie

Italian

Turkish

English

English - Nigerian

Music

C Music TV

English

News

RBC-TV

Russian

Sport

Setanta Ireland

English

National Window

TVR International

Romanian

Excellence Award

Planete

Polish

Special Award

SKY Cinema 1

Italian

Special Recognition

Euronews

English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Arabic






This year, for the third year, viewers had the possibility enter their favourite channel for the People’s Choice Award. The winner was the channel that received the majority of votes in Europe via leading satellite TV websites.


The People’s Choice Award

DUNA TV

Hungarian



In recognition of particular achievements in broadcasting, Eutelsat gave its own Special Award to NTV-Plus, the well-established Russian broadcasting group that has consistently striven to generate diverse and quality content, and to Orange TV a new force in broadcasting, motivated by the objective to maximise the delivery of content over multiple technology platforms, including satellite, ADSL and fibre.


The HOT BIRDTV Awards continues to go from strength to strength,” said Giuliano Berretta, CEO of Eutelsat Communications. “This year's participants enable us to celebrate the highest quality of content creation and innovative programming formats. Since Eutelsat initiated the HOT BIRDTV Awards in 1998 we have seen a constant flow of new thematic channels broadcasting through our satellites across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. Further growth of our video neighbourhoods, which will come with the upcoming launches of new broadcast satellites, will open increasing opportunities for new channels to reach television homes and further expand the satellite broadcasting universe”.


The Jury

The international jury for the HOT BIRDTM TV AWARDS is composed of international television critics in Europe and representatives of European satellite television organisations. The members are:

Jerzy Barski, TV-Sat Magazine (Poland), Sergheij Buntman, Echo Moscow Radio (Russia), Jacques Braun, Eurodata TV (France), Paolo Dalla Chiara, Sat Expo (Italy), Giovanna Maggioni, Upa (Italy), Asu Maro, Milliyet Sanat e Milliyet Daily (Turkey), Giacomo Mazzone, Eurovisioni (Europe), Mimi Turner, Hollywood Reporter (Europe), Patricia Wynn Davies, The Daily Telegraph (United Kingdom).

Jury co-ordinator: Duilio Giammaria, Rai (Itay). Technical expert: Mauro Roffi, Mille Canali (Italy).


About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 24 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 September 2008, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting more than 3,180 television channels and 1,100 radio stations. Almost 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 services through its teleport in Italy that serves enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 538 commercial, technical and operational experts from 27 countries.

www.eutelsat.com



About Eurovisioni

Eurovisioni is an International Film and Television Festival, established in 1987 and this year is its XXII edition. The 2008 edition theme - Rome, 18-24 October - was "Digital television as conveyor of social cohesion or social fragmentation". Eurovisioni 2008 was organised with the patronage of Giorgio Napolitano President of the Italian Republic, the European Commissioner for the Society of the information and Media, the European Council, the Presidency of the Ministry Council, the Presidency of the Italian Senate, Presidency of the House of Deputies, Lazio Region, Province and Municipality of Rome and many others. Among all the others supporters, the event was supported by, ARD, BBC, Canal +, Eutelsat, France Télévision, RAI, RTVE, TVP, ZDF.The 2008 edition took place in the framework of the Third Rome International Film Festival.

www.eurovisioni.it


For further information



Press Contacts



Eutelsat



Vanessa O’Connor 

Tel: + 33 1 53 98 38 88

voconnor@eutelsat.fr




HOT BIRD™ TV Awards



Press Office in Italy: Eurovisioni
Alessandra Lombardi

Tel. + 39 06 59606371,
cell + 39 347 7589385

alexlomb@gmail.com

www.hotbirdtvawards.com




Sat Expo



Matteo Sassano

+ 39 0444 543133

matteo.sassano@pentastudio.it