Intelsat and two of its partners, London-based music production company Control Room and Los Angeles-based video services integrator Coastal Media Group, were honored this week in Amsterdam with the IBC2008 Innovation Award for Content Delivery.

The trio received the award for the work they did last year to present “Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis” in high definition worldwide with music acts originating from every continent.

I had the chance to swing by the Intelsat booth and sit down with company regional VP for Broadcast Solutions Ron Rosenthal to discuss the honor and its implications. Given the scope of the project, it would be hard to argue that HD contribution and distribution satellite services haven’t come of age.

In this audio podcast, Rosenthal and I also explore what that means to occasional use customers, like broadcasters that field HD SNG crews.

Related article: Live Earth media architecture unites cultures and countries across the globe