SAT-7 Channels Increase Their Arab Audiences

Both the SAT-7 ARABIC and SAT-7 KIDS channels have benefitted from this changeover and have now completed the migration from the old Atlantic Bird 4A satellite to the new Atlantic Bird 7 (AB7) satellite, which has a much better coverage of the Arab World - including, for the first time, parts of North Africa (Morocco and Western Algeria) that previously only had access to SAT-7 PLUS (Combining the best programming from the SAT-7 ARABIC and SAT-7 KIDS channels but on the Hotbird Satellite System).

SAT-7’s CEO, Terence Ascott said, “We have been waiting a long time for the launch of this new satellite, which will not only give us a stronger signal and better coverage of all parts of the Arabic speaking world - but will also make it easier for new viewers to find these two key SAT-7 channels on their receivers!”

Some existing viewers of the SAT-7 ARABIC and KIDS channels with older receivers will need to manually retune the frequency coordinates for their dishes. Those with newer receivers will have been switched automatically to the new satellite.

Both the SAT-7 ARABIC and KIDS channels aggressively promoted this new frequency on-screen before the change-over on the 23rd October. Facebook and the channel websites were also used to prepare audiences for this change.  

SAT-7 PLUS, the network’s Hotbird satellite channel, will continue serving all of the Middle East, North Africa (and also greater Europe) with its “best of” programming from the SAT-7 ARABIC and KIDS channels.  

The deployment of this new satellite positions SAT-7’s Arabic language channels to better “make God’s love visible” across the whole region, employing as it does the two most popular satellite platforms – Nilesat and Hotbird.

The new coordinates for SAT-7 ARABIC and SAT-7 KIDS, effective as of 23 October 2011 are:  Atlantic Bird 7 at 7 degrees East, Frequency: 11,355 GHz, Vertical, 27.5 MSym/sec, FEC 5/6.