About SAT-7

What?
Satellite TV by and for Christians in the Middle East and North Africa

SAT-7 produces and broadcasts inspirational and educational television 24 hours a day via satellite. Launched in 1995, SAT-7 is a Christian satellite television ministry committed to helping and encouraging the Middle Eastern Church. The network began with 2 to 3 hours of programming per week. Over the past 10 years, SAT-7 has expanded to 24 hours of programming reaching millions of viewers weekly. SAT-7 is the only network that creates Christian programming by and for people in the Middle East and North Africa. There are more than 115 million people in the region with satellite dishes.

Why?
A Culture in the Midst of Rapid Communication Growth

Struggling with some of the world's highest illiteracy rates and lowest levels of social, political, and religious freedom, the people of the Middle East and North Africa have turned to satellite television for programming and entertainment that is informative and uncensored. This rapid growth of satellite use has given SAT-7 an opportunity to reach a potential audience of 80 million viewers with locally-produced, culturally sensitive, Arabic and Farsi language programming from a Christian perspective.

The development of uncensored satellite broadcasts has provided a strategic breakthrough for Christian ministry throughout the region. Through SAT-7, the voice of Middle Eastern Christians is now being heard in an unprecedented way, bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ into millions of viewers' homes, and promoting unity, tolerance, and understanding between the diverse religious and ethnic communities of the region.

Where?
A Broad Reach

SAT-7's viewing area includes Europe and the following Middle Eastern and North African countries:

	Mauritania	Jordan
	Morocco	Yemen
	Algeria	Oman
	Tunisia	United Arab Emirates
	Libya	Qatar
	Sudan	Bahrain
	Egypt	Kuwait
	Lebanon	Iraq
	Turkey	Iran
	Syria	Saudi Arabia

In America: The U.S. headquarters is based in Easton, Md. and is responsible for raising prayer and financial support for the network from concerned citizens in the United States.

Relevant Programming:
Culturally Compelling Productions

Through biblically-based productions that include teaching programs, talk shows, dramas, documentaries, serial dramas, and programming for children, teens and women, SAT-7 provides its Middle Eastern audience with a Christian worldview that is timely, relevant, and culturally sensitive. By offering these programs to millions of people in their own language of Arabic or Farsi and from a Middle Eastern perspective, SAT-7 helps dispel the often-distorted picture of Christianity that has built up in the region.

Who is Watching?
Millions of Potential Viewers

There are 115 million people with satellite dishes in the Middle East. Newly released research shows that, in the Arab world, SAT-7 Christian programming draws 5 to 6 million "occasional" viewers, including 2 to 3 million viewers who watch daily or at least once a week.

Resource to Middle Easterners:
Encouraging Middle Eastern Christians

By modelling what it means to be a Christian in the Middle East through relevant television programming, SAT-7 equips and encourages its viewers to live out their faith in areas of the world that are often adverse to Christianity. With more than 16 counselling centers throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, SAT-7 is responding daily to the needs of its viewers with prayer, teaching, and educational materials. SAT-7's studios are located in Cairo, Egypt and Beirut, Lebanon.

Key People:
Leaders with a Vision

Terence Ascott, Chief Executive Officer, founded SAT-7 International. Before founding SAT-7 in 1995, he was the International Director of Middle East Media, a Middle Eastern agency with print and TV ministries. During his 16 years with Middle East Media, Ascott also helped found the Arabic Broadcasting Convention, chaired the Cooperative Strategy Group, and produced The Real Story, a six-part video series to help Christians understand the Arab world.

Debbie Brink, Executive Director and Chief Development Officer, USA. Brink previously served as Vice President of Ministry Advancement at Far East Broadcasting Company, where she was responsible for overseeing the areas of development, communication, marketing, and public relations. In this role, Brink also was largely responsible for developing a major gift program. Brink formerly served as Regional Director of Advancement for Prison Fellowship and as Director of Development Stewardship at Fuller Theological Seminary. She also served 12 years with Campus Crusade for Christ.

###