Some 1200 channels competed for the awards, which are open to channels distributed via Hot Bird satellite and organized by Eutelsat.

Poland's Planete won the Documentary Excellence award, while Edusat won a special mention in the category of Culture/Education. The wins were the first ever for Poland. Romania's TVR International won in the National Window category. The People's Choice Award, voted by viewers and given out for the third time, went to Hungary's Duna TV.

The awards were established in 1998 and were presented this year at a ceremony in Venice.