As global broadcasters brace for the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, Eurovision has been busy preparing, and is poised to feed more than 60 EBU Member broadcasters live pictures from London in Standard and High Definition.

Eurovision is also offering broadcast services from three sites, enabling reporters to go live to camera before a trio of London landmarks - Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony is taking place, Buckingham Palace, venue of the reception, and the Duke of York Steps, along the wedding route.

In addition, a number of international broadcasters will be transmitting special programmes from purpose-built studios close to Canada Gate, with a backdrop of the Palace.

Thousands of journalists are in London to cover the first major British royal wedding since Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. But in media terms the world has come a long way since then. Around 750 million people watched Prince William's parents tie the knot, but viewing estimates for Friday's ceremony have gone as high as two billion.

Although there is no accurate way of calculating the figure in advance, this number may well be a fair reflection, given that the marriage will be the first truly global-interest royal wedding since the dawn of multiplatform, rolling news, as well as the first to be broadcast in HD.

So huge has the media response been that the EBU has answered a blizzard of press inquiries about the coverage to be facilitated by the Eurovision network.

Head of Eurovision News and Events, Jeff Dubin, said Member interest in Eurovision broadcast services around the event had been extraordinary.

"Demand for access to the BBC-provided live coverage is also exceptionally high," he added. "And with so many EBU Members accessing the pictures, they could potentially reach somewhere upwards of 260 million households in the European broadcasting area."