Paris – Resources representing over 400 hours of capacity on four satellites operated by Eutelsat Communications have already been booked by TV channels and news agencies for full broadcast coverage of the UK General Election on 7 May when up to 48 million voters will go to the polls.

Eutelsat’s satellites form part of the infrastructure that will enable UK and international media to report direct from voting booths and key locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as 10 Downing Street, Westminster and the HQs of political parties. These live and pre-recorded reports will be integrated into special Election Day programmes and rolling news updates.

Eutelsat has been streamlining coordination of bookings over the last weeks to ensure broadcasters and news agencies can benefit from optimal capacity and services, and is mobilised to manage last minute requests throughout the election period.

In order to manage surges of media activity, Eutelsat’s Booking Centre enables customers to complement permanently leased capacity with bandwidth booked on an ad hoc basis from as little as 15 minutes to several days.