Eutelsat sponsors the 2006 Winter Olympics

Eutelsat is now an official sponsor of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. In addition to its role as sponsor, Eutelsat will also provide the Turin Organizing Committee of the XX Winter Olympics (TOROC) with a package of 50 video channels that will be broadcast for the duration of the Games to competition sites, Olympic Villages and Media Villages.

The satellite company has also been appointed to manage an exclusive satellite network for the Olympic community. The network will provide athletes, judges, referees, IOC members, National Olympic Committees and Federations, journalists and media operators at competition, training, and accommodation locations with levels of information through 50 digital video channels. Twenty Olympic Live channels will be provided by the TOBO (the Turin Olympic Broadcasting Organization), with live coverage from each of the 13 competition sites. Another 30 television channels will enable the Olympic community to follow coverage from national and international television channels. The package will be delivered direct to 5,000 plasma screens and monitors located at competition sites, three Olympic Villages, and seven Media Villages during the Games.

Eutelsat will multiplex, encrypt, and uplink these services through the facilities managed by its Italian subsidiary, Skylogic Italia, in Turin.

Satellite coverage of the Olympics will begin February 10, 2006.