National Broadcasting Company, Owner of Russia's Tricolor Tv Platform, Launches 12 Pay-TV Channels on Eutelsat W4 Satellite

National Broadcasting Company, Owner of Russia's Tricolor Tv Platform, Launches 12 Pay-TV Channels on Eutelsat W4 Satellite

PARIS, May 7/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Russian broadcaster National Broadcasting Company today
announced the launch of 12 new channels on the W4 satellite of Eutelsat
Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) in order to expand development of its
Tricolor television platform. The channels have been launched following
signature in 1 February 2007 of a contract for the lease of a second
transponder on W4 between Eutelsat and RSCC, acting on behalf of National
Broadcasting Company.

Launched in Russia in 2005 as a free package of 15 channels
accessed via a decoder developed and commercialised by General Satellite, the
Tricolor platform today serves an audience of 800,000 homes. With buoyant
receiver sales since the beginning of 2007, Tricolor forecasts audience
growth to 1.2 million homes by the end of the year. Tricolor's main target
are the estimated 50 million viewers in western parts of Russia (up to and
including the Urals) living in rural areas with limited offer of channels
through terrestrial reception. The platform was launched in November 2005 on
one transponder on Eutelsat's W4 satellite as a subscription-free digital
package of Russian national and regional channels with the only cost being
the receiver. Boosted by rapid receiver sales, Tricolor is now moving into
the second phase of its development with the launch of 12 new channels
available in low-cost thematic packages.

Called Optimum, this new offer is commercialised in six
packages branded Optimum, each containing two channels with the same theme:

- The Detskiy package (Childrens), comprising Raketa TV
(Rocket TV) and Telenyana (Telenanny)

- The Kino package (Films), comprising Dom Kino (Cinema) and
Mnogo TV (Much of TV)

- The Sportivniy package (Sport), comprising the Boez
(Fighter) and Avtoplus (Auto Plus)

- The Poznavatelniy package (Lifestyle), comprising 365 dneys
(365 days) and Teleputeshestvia (Adventure)

- The Yumor TV package (Entertainment), comprising Veseloe TV
(Humour) and Komedia TV (Comedy)

Each of these options is available individually for an annual
cost of eight euros or as a combined offer (all five options) for 16 euros
per year.

- The Nochnoy package (Night-time), comprising the Russkaya
noch and Nochnoy club (Night Club)

The Nochnoy package is available for 14 euros per year.

Commenting on the launch of Optimum, Mordachev Viacheslav, CEO
of National Broadcasting Company said: "With strong demand from Russian
television viewers for new digital channels we are convinced that the new
offer we have assembled will be a popular choice. Our subscription packages
also constitute a new platform for Russian and international content
providers to reach into television homes in Russia".

Giuliano Berretta, CEO of Eutelsat added: "In less than two
years, the Tricolor platform has built an impressive audience by targeting
television homes in rural areas who have only the limited choice of channels
delivered by terrestrial networks. This success underscores the unique asset
of ubiquitous coverage which is afforded by satellites, combined with
scalability to efficiently support expansion of TV platforms at national and
regional levels. Tricolor's achievements also further consolidate our W4
satellite at 36 degrees East as a key contributor to developing Russia's
highly dynamic broadcasting market."

For more information from Tricolor

Bondar Viacheslav, pr@natsatcom.ru

www.tricolor.tv

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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