NTV Plus, Russia's Premier Pay-TV Platform Launches its HDTV Offer via Eutelsat's W4 Satellite

NTV Plus, Russia's Premier Pay-TV Platform Launches its HDTV Offer via Eutelsat's W4 Satellite

PARIS, April 27/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NTV-Plus announced today at a press conference in Moscow the launch of
new premium HDTV services which will be available through the W4 satellite
operated by Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL). The HD launch
follows the signatures inked in October and November 2006 between Eutelsat
and Intersputnik, on behalf of NTV Plus, of new contracts for four
transponders on W4. The new capacity was secured to support the launch of new
HDTV services by NTV-Plus to add to its growing stable of Standard Digital
channels and services.

The HDTV offer, which is the first in Russia, will further consolidate
the NTV-Plus platform which assembles over 100 Russian and international
digital channels. NTV-Plus today serves a subscriber base of more than
560,000 homes in Russia and the Ukraine, representing more than 1.5 million
viewers. Under the Chairmanship of Dmitry Samokhin, the Group employs more
than 900 broadcast professionals.

The initial HDTV offer supplied by NTV-Plus will comprise three channels:
HD Kino (cinema), HD Sport and HD Life. HD Kino and HD Sport are produced by
NTV-Plus while HD Life is produced by the Russian company Red Media for
NTV-Plus. All HD content will be broadcast using MPEG4 compression which
means that subscribers to the new offer will exchange their existing decoder
for a new decoder able to receive Standard Digital and HD content via an HDMI
port. NTV-Plus's objective is to capture between 10,000 and 20,000 HD
subscribers by the end of 2007, taking advantage of the fast take-up in
Russia of flat-screen displays since 2005 of which the vast majority are
HD-Ready. NTV-Plus anticipates that subscribers will in particular be
attracted by sports events in 2007 filmed and broadcast in HD, in advance of
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The broadcaster has invested $3.5 million in
new production and broadcast equipment to support this new phase of
expansion.

Dmitry Samokhin, CEO of NTV-Plus said, "We see our company as both
creative and innovative. We aim to provide our customers the best possible
offer in terms of content and quality. We are the first in the Russian pay-
TV market to launch HDTV, and we are sure that our viewers will appreciate
the superiority of HDTV format".

For Giuliano Berretta, CEO of Eutelsat: "We are delighted to further
cement our relationship with NTV-Plus which goes back to 2000 when Russia's
pioneering pay-TV platform was the first to broadcast from our W4 satellite.
As the leader of digital pay-TV in Russia, NTV-Plus is now strengthening its
commitment to innovation with the initiation of the HDTV market. The
commercial success of NTV-Plus further consolidates the strength of our W4
satellite which addresses one of today's most dynamic broadcast markets."

About NTV Plus

NTV-Plus is Russia's first commercial pay-TV operator, broadcasting
services by satellite across all of European Russia and the Ukraine. NTV-Plus
went on air on 1 September 1996, when its first fully-owned analogue channel,
Nashe Kino (Our Cinema) started broadcasting. By December 1997, four channels
were broadcasting: Nashe Kino, Mir Kino (Cinema World), NTV-Plus Sport and
Detsky Mir (Children's World). On February 1, 1999, the company started
digital broadcasts of all its channels. Today, the NTV-Plus platform
assembles more than 100 Russian and international channels and is now
launching Russia's first HD services with three channels. The platform serves
560,000 homes, equivalent to more than 1.5 million viewers, and employs over
900 people.

www.ntvplus.ru

For further information
NTV-Plus Press Service: +7-495-775-5634, Anastasia Kazakova
E-mail: Anastasia.Kazakova@ntvplus.com

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code:
FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity
commercialised on 23 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 31 December 2006, Eutelsat's
satellites were broadcasting over 2,400 television channels and 1,000 radio
stations. More than 1,000 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video
neighbourhood 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
teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities,
government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the
Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 490
commercial, technical and operational experts from 27 countries.

www.eutelsat.com

Eutelsat Press Contact

Vanessa O'Connor
Tel. :+33-(0)1-53-98-38-88
voconnor@eutelsat.fr

Frederique Gautier
Tel. :+33-(0)1-53-98-38-88
fgautier@eutelsat.fr

Eutelsat Investor relations

Gilles Janvier
Tel. :+33-(0)1-53-98-35-35
investors@eutelsat-communications.com

Source: Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Press Contact: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel. :+33-(0)1-53-98-38-88, voconnor@eutelsat.fr; Frederique Gautier, Tel. :+33-(0)1-53-98-38-88, fgautier@eutelsat.fr; Eutelsat Investor relations: Gilles Janvier, Tel. :+33-(0)1-53-98-35-35, investors@eutelsat-communications.com

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