24/7 Arabic Christian TV on the Web

Over the last few years, the number of Arabs with access to satellite TV has grown immensely, and along with it, the number of Christian TV channels covering the region. Governments and religious groups in the Arab World are aware of this, and there is a good chance that availability of Christian channels through satellite TV will be curbed or placed under censorship. The broadcast charter agreement last year between the Arab League countries may well be the first step towards tightening the control on satellite TV.

So what other option do we have to make our programs accessible
to the millions of viewers in the Arab World? The answer is becoming increasingly obvious: the Internet. The number of people in the Arab World with access to the Internet has grown exponentially the last 5 years. The Gulf region leads in this, but also poorer countries like Egypt have made good progress. Overall, it is estimated that 24 million in the region have access to high speed Internet.

Popular sites, like YouTube, have become direct rivals to satellite and cable television. Internet broadcasts are also ideal to encourage the feedback and participation of the viewers. In fact, many viewers themselves become content providers with their contributions and video clips, taking the follow-up and interactivity with viewers to a whole new level.

There is a great need to create a dedicated website that provides live streaming Arabic Christian TV programs and establishes itself as a news portal for relevant Christian issues in the Middle East and North Africa. Arab Vision has taken on the task of developing and running this Internet ‘station’.

We will utilize many of the programs we have already produced (over 1000 hours worth!), but also produce tailor-made programs with specific style and content for the Internet. One of the benefits of this project will be the empowering of young Arab Christians to easily be involved in this Internet-based media opportunity.

The Internet Broadcast project will proceed as follows:

• A 24/7 Christian program website will go online by the end of this year, offering a daily 4-hour block repeated during the 24 hours. Effectively, this means that anywhere in the world, Arabs can watch our programs at any time. The programs will be available as streaming video, and also as video-on-demand. From January 2010, we will also begin integrating newly produced programs into these Internet broadcasts.
   
• The second stage comes after we have had the Internet station up and running for a year. We will then begin to include live presenters as hosts of the station. This will greatly enhance the quality and attractiveness of the broadcasts.
   
• Finally, by the summer of 2011, we plan on introducing a news program especially geared for male and female Arab youth (16 to 21 years old). The news programs will feature the latest news from the Arab World, with some extra attention to church news and Christian comments on the news.

Click here to support a full day (24 hours) of this project - it only costs $186.  If you have further questions or would like to donate a different amount, please write to us by clicking here.