Middle East (MNN) — SAT-7 KIDS, the first and only Arabic Christian satellite TV channel dedicated exclusively to the children of the Middle East and North Africa, celebrates its first anniversary today.
Last year, the channel was launched as a Christmas gift to millions of children living in the Arab world, a SAT-7 news release states. This year, SAT-7 KIDS will be presenting viewers with Christian Christmas programming.
"Our Christmas Special will broadcast live from Lebanon on December 21st, 2008, and it will be the first time that children across the Middle East and North Africa will be able to call and have a live conversation with some of their favorite SAT-7 characters and hosts," says Terence Ascott, SAT-7 CEO. "We're very excited about this and intend to have many more live broadcasts on SAT-7 KIDS in 2009."
Over the next weeks, children in the region can watch Arabic cartoons (such as VeggieTales "The Toy Who Stole Christmas" and Hermie & Friends® "Fruit Cake Christmas"), films including "Legend of the Candy Cane" and "The Miracle Maker," and many locally-produced specials, including SAT-7 KIDS' first-ever live telecast.
"For more than twelve years, SAT-7 has been a leader in producing and broadcasting Arabic Christian programming for children. But since the launch of SAT-7 KIDS last year, we've seen responses from children and parents writing on behalf of their kids more than triple," said Ascott.
SAT-7 KIDS seeks to educate and inform children living in a region stretching from Morocco to Iraq about the basics of the Christian faith, including the true meaning of Christmas. Many children living in the region see Christmas as only a Western holiday obsessed with gift-giving and Santa Claus. SAT-7 KIDS seeks to shatter misconceptions about the Christian faith and to help Arab children understand the Christian teaching that Jesus not only came to earth 2000 years ago, but that He wants to have a relationship with them today.
To watch live Internet stream of SAT-7 KIDS programming, please click here.
