Terence “Terry” Ascott has lived in the Middle East and served as the leader for indigenous media ministries for more than 40 years.

In 1973 Ascott moved to Beirut, Lebanon and worked to launch an Arabic Christian publishing ministry. After the start of the Lebanese Civil War, he and his family evacuated to Egypt. In Egypt Ascott launched an Arabic youth magazine called “Huwa wa Hiya” (He & She). This was the first Christian magazine to be successfully distributed on newsstands, in more than a dozen Arab countries. “Huwa wa Hiya” was published for over two decades and was, for many, their first exposure to the Christian faith. 

While working on the magazine, his ministry became involved in other media projects including video production. In 1995 he, along with Middle Eastern Christian leaders and around twenty partner organizations working in the region, launched SAT-7, the first Arabic language Christian satellite television channel. The channel was a pioneer in many areas, breaking ground for other ministries to follow. 

Ascott served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) until April 1, 2019, when he transitioned to the role of Founder & President. 

In the years since its launch, SAT-7 has grown from a two-hour a week broadcast, to a network of four 24-hour channels: SAT-7 ARABIC (Arabic Christian programming for every age group), SAT-7 KIDS (the first and currently the only Arabic Christian channel for children), SAT-7 PARS (a 24 hour channel in Farsi/Persian, with some programming in Dari for Afghanistan) and SAT-7 TÜRK (Christian programming for 100 million Turkish-speakers in the region). 

SAT-7 has more than 200 employees, mostly Middle Eastern nationals, who work in its offices and studios in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus and the UK. 

Ascott holds a first-class B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, with Honors, from Middlesex University, England. In December 2011, he was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Christian Ministries degree from Belhaven University “for extraordinary work and achievements in promoting Christianity throughout the Middle East and North Africa.” 

He and his wife Jacqueline live in Nicosia, Cyprus, and have three grown children and three grandchildren.