Al-Waad (Hope Channel Middle East) is adding satellite Eutelsat 7 West A and expand coverage into all of North Africa and the Middle East.
The addition of Eutelsat 7 West A is a significant step forward in the global mission of Hope Channel to offer God’s good news for a better life today and for eternity. “We want to provide Hope Channel in the easiest way possible for viewers to receive”, says Brad Thorp, President of Hope Channel.
The Eutelsat 7 West A satellite signal on a small antenna dish is ideal for this region of the world. The Eutelsat 7 West A is co-located with the Nilesat satellite, the most popular television network in the Middle East. Anyone with a Nilesat antenna will have the option of receiving Al Waad. Service is anticipated to begin soon, and the actual date of the broadcast will be announced shortly.
Thus far, viewers in the MENA region use Hot Bird 6 to watch Hope Channel in English and Hot Bird 8 to watch programs in Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi. Currently, Hot Bird 8 and Hot Bird 6 are co-located and have the same footprint. However, part of the changes includes the end of Hope Channel December 31 and the addition of English programming to Hot Bird 8.
Amir Ghali, Al Waad Director, says of Eutelsat 7 West A, “We have been praying for this development for many years. Our peaceful, non-partisan programs receive many wonderful responses from viewers who watch Al Waad on Hot Bird 8 and on the Internet. This development creates a huge expansion for an even larger audience.”
With the addition of Eutelsat 7 West A, Hope Channel will be broadcast on 14 satellites, using 16 footprints for global service of its 15 full-time satellite channels. Additionally, Hope Channel operates eight full-time Internet based Hope Channels.