Host broadcaster TVH and Italian television giant Sky Italia call on GlobeCast for end-to-end SD and HD contribution services

Paris, 1 September 2007 – GlobeCast is putting HD in the spotlight at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, providing end-to-end satellite and fibre contribution services for host broadcaster TVH as well Sky Italia, and experimenting with uncompressed HD signal transmission — an exciting development that promises to make life easier for telecoms wishing to transmit HD footage in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

To service its clients at this major event, GlobeCast will deploy a fleet of 15 SNG vehicles to matches in every corner of France, including three trucks dedicated to HD. It will also provide on-site production, dedicated facilities and network capacity to deliver High Definition coverage of the games.

For Sky Italia, GlobeCast will provide a complete solution including on-site production, dedicated facilities and network capacity to provide High Definition coverage for the broadcast giant. Sky Italia will have two technical bases for this event in central Paris: its studios at the Trocadéro, and its dedicated Master Control Room at GlobeCast’s International Gateway on the rue des Archives. GlobeCast will interconnect these two centres via fibre, and will then deliver all feeds and unilaterals to Sky Italia’s headquarters in Italy.

Host broadcaster TVH asked GlobeCast to transmit coverage in SD and HD from the matches to its International Broadcast Centre (IBC) outside Paris. Additionally, for the first time in Europe, GlobeCast will provide long-distance, terrestrial transport of non-compressed HD signals – a development that promises to help telcos transport HD video without modifying infrastructures, updating equipment or compromising quality. This experiment will be held at matches in Marseille.

As a security measure, GlobeCast will also ensure the transport in SD of all backup feeds via satellite.

The Rugby World Cup, which starts at the Stade de France on 7 September, will be one of the biggest sporting events of the year and GlobeCast’s expertise in providing broadcast services from major competitions such as this will ensure secure and flawless quality of coverage.

About GlobeCast
GlobeCast ( www.globecast.com ), a subsidiary of France Telecom, marks its 10 th anniversary in 2007 as the leading global provider of content management and worldwide transmission services for professional broadcast delivery. The company operates a secure global satellite and fibre network to manage and transport 10 million hours of video and other rich media each year, providing ingest, aggregation, transmission and repurposing of content for delivery to direct-to-home satellite platforms; cable, IPTV, mobile and broadband headends; as well as corporate and digital signage networks. GlobeCast’s fleet of SNG trucks deploys globally to support coverage of the biggest news and sporting events each year in SD and HDTV formats. Borders are non-existent when it comes to GlobeCast’s services, thanks to the company’s 12 teleports and technical operations centres as well as its 20 offices in Europe, North and Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Press Contacts:
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Alexandra Weber +33 1 55 95 26 04