Over 52 million TV homes in Middle East and North Africa set to get more choice

30th Eutelsat launch by Arianespace and 25th Eutelsat satellite by Thales Alenia Space

Dubai, 24 August 2015 - Homes across the Middle East are set for even greater television choice following the successful launch of the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite Eutelsat from its launch site in Kourou, French Guyana.

Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) confirmed that the satellite was successfully launched into orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket. Partial deployment of the solar panels of the 5.8 tonne satellite was completed within four hours of separation.  This manoeuvre will be followed in the coming days by three firings of the satellite's apogee motor to complete the climb into geostationary orbit, as well as full deployment of the solar panels and the antennas.

After a full series of performance tests EUTELSAT 8 West B will be located 7/8° West where it will further strengthen this position as the hotspot for television broadcasts to homes across the region stretching from Morocco to the Gulf.  It is expected to go into full commercial service in early October providing capacity equivalent to an additional 180 High Definition television channels.

Speaking from Kourou, Michel Azibert, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial & Development Officer of Eutelsat, said: "The launch of the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite marks a new milestone in the growth story of the leading video neighbourhood in the Middle East and North Africa that Eutelsat has steadily built in a spirit of collaboration with Nilesat. It equips us in particular to meet demand from broadcasters and service providers to deliver more digital and High Definition content to over 250 million viewers in a vast region stretching from Morocco to the Gulf.

"This new satellite also underscores the strength and longevity of our relationship with leading European space companies: EUTELSAT 8 West B is the 30th satellite launched for Eutelsat by Arianespace and the 25th built for our company by Thales Alenia Space.  Over more than 30 years of collaboration we have together raised the bar of performance in space and continue to set new standards."

Hosting Ku-band and C-band payloads

EUTELSAT 8 West B is equipped with 40 operational Ku-band transponders designed primarily to serve Direct-to-Home TV markets in North Africa and the Middle East.  It will increase in-orbit security at the premium 7/8°West video neighbourhood and will also introduce a C-band mission, with 10 operational transponders connected to footprints covering the African continent and reaching west to South America.

Click here to view the launch: www.arianespace.tv/

Click here for photos of the pre-launch campaign & launch: Flickr.

About Eutelsat Communications
Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world's leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 37 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies. Eutelsat's satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user's location. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 37 countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat please visit www.eutelsat.com

Press
Vanessa O'Connor
Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91
voconnor@eutelsat.com

Marie-Sophie Ecuer
Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91
mecuer@eutelsat.com

Investors and analysts
Joanna Darlington
Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30
jdarlington@eutelsat.com

Cédric Pugni
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cpugni@eutelsat.com

© Press Release 2015