Eutelsat, Eurosport Deliver French Open in 3D

European satellite operator Eutelsat is providing capacity to sports programmer Eurosport for a dedicated 3D signal that is delivering live 3D coverage of the French Open tennis championship in Paris to Panasonic sets in retail outlets across Europe.

The 3D signals, which began on May 23 and will run to June 6 through the men's and women's finals, are being transmitted to Eutelsat’s “HOT BIRD 6” satellite at 13 degrees East. As part of the sponsored “Panasonic 3D Experience,” they are being received at thousands of retail outlets and business clients in 28 countries across Europe and displayed on Panasonic Viera VT20 3D Plasma TVs.

"This partnership with Eurosport plays to two core assets of our broadcast satellites: the ability to deliver a signal across a broad international footprint, and the bandwidth to transmit a new generation of rich content requiring a 12 Mbit/s signal to fully appreciate stunning 3D effects,” said Eutelsat Commercial Director Olivier Millies-Lacroix in a statement. “We are delighted to be Eurosport's chosen partner for delivering this compelling content to Panasonic 3D sets across Europe."