After receiving thousands of calls and emails from viewers, DirecTV is keeping God TV in its lineup.
The California-based satellite TV provider planned to remove the Christian network beginning Friday when its four-year contract expired. To renew, God TV would have had to pay DirecTV’s typical rate, which is significantly higher than the one brokered in 2006 by a ministry-owned media company.
DirecTV agreed to keep God TV in its lineup through the end of the year in a deal announced Wednesday, just a day before the contract was to end.
DirecTV is currently God TV’s largest U.S. platform, allowing it to reach 18.6 million homes. The network, founded 15 years ago in Europe by Rory and Wendy Alec, appeals to many charismatic viewers with its broadcasts of large-scale prayer events such as TheCall and the Global Day of Prayer, and daily services from the International House of Prayer.
This weekend, it is scheduled to broadcast the global Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.
God TV has applied for carriage under the FCC’s public-interest obligation and is being considered for one of those slots, DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer told Charisma.
Internationally, God TV reaches roughly 160 million homes.
