EXCLUSIVE. Eutelsat Communications has decided to terminate the Eutelsat TV Awards, an event that was held 19 times since 1998 when it was known as the Hotbird Awards.
The Paris-based satellite operator has informed the members of the jury that the awards will no longer take place. The last time that the awards were given was in 2016 and last year Eutelsat said that the event would be organised every two years rather than yearly.
But now, Eutelsat has decided to stop the event altogether. In a statement to the jury members Eutelsat said that “every measure will be taken to focus on the clients’ needs, and Eutelsat will remain totally dedicated to serving the media community.” No press statement will be forthcoming.
The Eutelsat TV Awards was an annual competition “that shines a spotlight on what makes today’s television great, rewarding broadcasters for exceptional creativity, innovation and audience engagement.”
Former Corporate Communications Director Vanessa O’Connor inaugurated the renowned TV Awards. Participating channels were assessed by an independent jury of leading journalists, programme makers and media commentators from around the world.
A list of all the historic winners of the Hotbird Awards and Eutelsat TV Awards can be found here.
The last awards were given in 2016 at a ceremony in Milan (see picture above), and at the time the jury consisted of Jerzy Barski, TV-Sat Magazine (Poland), Frédéric Vaulpré, Eurodata TV (France), Robert Briel, Broadband TV News (UK), Paolo Dalla Chiara, Pentastudio (Italy), Dmitry Dibrov, journalist and TV presenter (Russia), Giacomo Mazzone, EBU/Eurovisioni, Tayfun Atay, Cumhuriyet / Okan University (Turkey), Reem Nouss, Executive producer / TV consultant (UK). Jury chairman: Duilio Giammaria, RAI (Italy). Technical expert: Mauro Roffi, Millecanali (Italy).