GlobeCast to Deliver 2008 Times Square Ball Drop

Satellite services provider GlobeCast will be part of the New Year’s celebrations for possibly billions of people. The company has been picked by the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment to provide global delivery services for the world-famous “Ball Drop” in Times Square.

GlobeCast will uplink coverage of the event to satellites throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

First, on Dec. 28, GlobeCast will deliver satellite footage of a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Times Square New Year’s Eve, including the arrival and installation of the 2008 sign and the new LED Crystal New Year’s Eve Ball. The Ball Drop celebrates its 100th birthday this year.

Then, to ensure live coverage of the Times Square 2008 festivities, GlobeCast will deliver the feed with exclusive panoramic views of Times Square and the new LED crystal New Year’s Eve Ball from proprietary camera locations on rooftops and on the street with the revellers. The unedited, uninterrupted feed will be delivered by GlobeCast via fiber and via satellite, where it is expected to be picked up by broadcasters, user-generated content sites and mobile phone providers around the world, for their use in creating television programming relating to the event.

The feed will be available in North America via Intelsat Americas 6 and Galaxy 11, in Europe via NSS-7, in Latin America via NSS-806, in Asia via Asiasat 2, and in Africa via Intelsat 3R.

Full technical info can be viewed here.