British Eurosport to go HD on Sky and Virgin Media

[bassethound]

British Eurosport is to go high definition on cable and satellite later in the month.

British Eurosport 1 will get a high definition simulcast channel on the Sky and Virgin Media platforms on July 25.

This will be followed on September 3 by a HD version of British Eurosport 2, although that channel will only launch on Sky.

Eurosport (International) HD has been available in the UK and Ireland since July 2008, enabling British viewers to watch events such as the Tour De France, French Open and Olympic Games in native HD.

From July 25, this channel will be replaced by British Eurosport 1 HD, giving a more UK focus to the HD sporting coverage.

Upcoming events include British and World Superbikes, MotoGP, the Davis Cup, US Open tennis and the Champions League Twenty20.

British Eurosport launched as a standard definition network in 1999, replacing the SD version of Eurosport International.

"We are very pleased to be making British rights available in HD for our viewers on the Sky and Virgin Media platforms," said British Eurosport's managing director David Kerr.

"Our passionate and knowledgeable viewers will be able to enjoy more of their favourite sports on British Eurosport in stunning HD than ever before.

"There are some fantastic events coming up and covering them in HD will add more quality to the depth and specialist knowledge provided by our expert team of Eurosport analysts."

Sky's product director Luke Bradley-Jones commented: "Adding HD versions of both British Eurosport channels to HD channel lineup further underlines Sky's leadership in high definition TV, with more than 60 HD channels now available to Sky customers.

"We're also delighted to be continuing to build on our partnership with Eurosport, which later this month will see Sky customers get to experience the first ever Olympics in immersive 3D as Eurosport's comprehensive 3D coverage of the Games is broadcast on Sky 3D."

Eurosport and Eurosport 2 will continue to operate on Sky and Virgin Media, offering coverage of various sporting events, including the upcoming London 2012 Olympics.