Television viewing habits have changed considerably in recent years with the rise of multimedia platforms and streaming services. As World Television Day is marked on November 21, we examine SAT-7’s audience across different platforms and how our Viewer Support Teams are building relationships with individuals throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
When SAT-7 started broadcasting back in 1996, satellite was emerging as the preferred source of television in the region because of its ability to bypass censorship, opening up access to different perspectives and worldviews in restrictive nations. Today, satellite remains the dominant source of TV in the MENA at 97% of the market,1 despite the uptake of IPTV and streaming services.
Satellite thus continues to be vital for SAT-7 even as we develop our digital platforms. Based on research conducted by IPSOS earlier this year, SAT-7’s satellite viewership across the Arab world is approximately 15 million.2
SAT-7’s Chief Executive Officer Rita El-Mounayer said:
Understanding our audience and their viewing habits is very important, especially in such a rapidly changing media landscape. High levels of illiteracy and low levels of internet connectivity in some parts of the MENA mean that satellite is still the most accessible TV service for many people in the region, and therefore continues to be at the heart of our multi-platform media ministry. This, of course, may change in the coming years, and so we are also continuing to develop our digital platforms and connect with new audiences there.”
Growing Online Audiences
Since its inception, SAT-7 has continually adapted to advances in technology and changing viewer preferences, always seeking to have a presence where people are watching. Alongside our satellite viewership are growing Arabic, Persian, and Turkish audiences on key online platforms.
Total Facebook fans increased from 2,149,036 in 2022 to 2,562,735 last year. Subscribers and followers on YouTube and Instagram also grew in 2023, with millions of video views on these platforms: YouTube 27,129,018 and Instagram 11,920,178.
Internet penetration varies considerably across the 25 countries of the MENA, but it is improving and now averages 77 percent,3 with around half the population accessing the internet via mobile.4 This is changing viewing habits in the region, and this shift is expected to continue in the coming years.
SAT-7 is continuing to invest in its own online video-on-demand (VOD) and livestreaming platform, SAT-7 PLUS, which can be accessed via web browser, TV, or mobile app. In 2023, there were 1,173,555 unique users, and app downloads increased almost threefold.5 The top three countries accessing the platform’s VOD were Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq, with the most views of the livestream coming from Iran, Türkiye, and Iraq.
“We are of course delighted to see these huge numbers of people watching SAT-7’s online content, but we are also mindful that behind these figures are individual human beings who are loved by God, and we pray that He will use SAT-7 to speak to each of them with a message that will touch their hearts and impact their lives,” said Rita.
Building Relationships
While statistics from audience surveys and online platforms enable us to see the breadth of our reach as a ministry, the depth of our connection with viewers is just as, if not more, important. Each of our satellite TV channels has a Viewer Support Team made up of Persian, Turkish, or Arab believers, who can be contacted in a variety of ways. You can read more about their work here.
In 2023, SAT-7’s Viewer Support Teams had 103,345 conversations with individuals who contacted our channels. They helped viewers navigate questions and struggles about faith, relationships, and life’s challenges, offering prayer, advice, and in some cases, further support. Counseling and teaching resources were offered and accepted 8,604 times, and Bible teaching sessions on Zoom for Persian speakers generated 1,318 conversations as participants (totaling 85) exchanged messages, prayer requests, and testimonies, indicating high levels of interaction and engagement between those taking part.
Among the largest groups of people contacting SAT-7’s Viewer Support Teams last year were Persian viewers wanting to take part in a program (8,558), Arab viewers asking questions about the Gospel (4,910), and Turkish viewers requesting prayer (815).
The ultimate goal of the Viewer Support Teams is “to move our viewers from an online to an offline experience, to make sure they’re part of the body of Christ,” explains Marianne Awaraji, Audience Relations Manager for SAT-7’s Arabic channels. SAT-7 works with numerous partner organizations and churches throughout the MENA, so we can connect viewers with local Christians.
“There is a whole journey behind the scenes that we walk with our viewers,” Marianne says. “We want to make sure that our viewers who have real problems are receiving practical solutions and are being linked to churches on the ground where they can have fellowship with other believers and grow in their faith journey.”
Sources
1 MENA Satellite Penetration study, IPSOS, 2020.
2 This is based on a telephone survey of 23,516 adults in ten countries conducted by IPSOS between January and May 2024 with data extrapolated for nine other countries. It is not possible to conduct similar research for our PARS and TÜRK channels at present.
3 The World Bank.
4 GSMA report, The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2023.
5 SAT-7 PLUS app downloads increased from 55,862 in 2022 to 150,376 in 2023.
