SAT-7 Arabic is taking advantage of YouTube's new live broadcasting service to reach even more people with its Christian programming.

The first SAT-7 event to be aired on the YouTube Live channel was a four-hour prayer service on 18 May at Kasr El Dobarah Evangelical Church in Cairo. The majority of viewers watching the event on YouTube Live were from Egypt and the USA.

Albert Fawzi, operations manager at the SAT-7 Egypt studio, said the service would make it possible for Arabic speakers living outside the satellite footprint of its channels to tune in.

Viewers will be able to watch SAT-7's live events via their smartphones, tablets, computers, laptops and smart TVs.

"YouTube Live broadcasting is free and will increase the reach of SAT-7 Arabic broadcasts exponentially," said Fawzi.

Increasing the viewing possibilities was "especially important for the large community of Arabic-speakers living in Europe and the UK", he added.

Fawzi also thinks it will make the viewing experience more fun, as viewers will be able to search the videos to re-play songs or verses, and interact with other users by leaving comments and prayer requests.

The live broadcasts is another YouTube milestone for SAT-7 Arabic after the channel passed 10 million views on the channel.

SAT-7 Arabic said: "This number reflects not only the popularity of the channel, but also the spiritual needs of millions of people seeking answers and fellowship through SAT-7."