Declare his glory among the nations,
– Psalm 96:3 (NIV)
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
At the end of a long day, many people like to sit down in front of the television and unwind. When it comes to TV programming, we all know that many of the programs available are far from Godly and do little to enhance one’s walk with Jesus. However, there is one major exception offered by the Seventh-day Adventist Church: the Hope Channel. The Hope Channel is one source of programming that offers viewers the opportunity to fill their minds and hearts with uplifting, Christ-centered messages.
A recent study (2014) conducted by Paul Richardson, Petr Činčala, and Monte Sahlin with the Center for Creative Ministry on behalf of the General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research surveyed Hope Channel (Novo Tempo/Nuevo Tiempo) viewers in South America. The survey was completed in both Portuguese and Spanish, with a total of 14,625 Hope Channel viewer responses.
Of the viewers surveyed, 46% considered themselves “regular viewers,” with an additional 39% of respondents indicating that they are consistent viewers of certain programs. When asked how relevant they felt the Hope Channel (Novo Tempo/Nuevo Tiempo) was in regards to programming, 57% responded that they felt it was “very relevant.” Additionally, 64% of viewers indicated that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the quality of programming offered.
While programming was considered high quality and relevant to viewer’s lives, one might ask if the positive programming of the Hope Channel (Novo Tempo/Nuevo Tiempo) truly had an impact on viewers’ lives. According to research, it had a good impact on different areas of viewers’ spiritual life as you can see below:
Because of this positive impact, 68% of respondents indicated that they would recommend the Hope Channel (Novo Tempo/Nuevo Tiempo) to others, with 55% indicating that they would recommend it to friends and family not within their religion. Forty-six percent also indicated that they would recommend it to young adults in general.
The Hope Channel (Novo Tempo/Nuevo Tiempo) includes a large percentage (42%) of young viewers, age 35 years of age or younger. Additionally, 37% of viewers are between the ages of 35-49, with 19% reporting being middle-aged (age 50-68). Sixty-four percent of viewers reported being married, with 54% reporting having children under the age of 19.
Interestingly, when it comes to viewers’ religion, only 35% indicated that they were Seventh-day Adventists while a majority (65%) said that they were of no religion (32% were those who skipped the question), Protestant (16%), of other religion (13%), or Catholic (4%).
As you can see, the Hope Channel (Novo Tempo/Nuevo Tiempo) has a strong presence in Brazil, effectively declaring the glory of God. Through this presence, viewers – even those not of the Adventist faith – are exposed to the love of Jesus and the hope of an eternity in Heaven with Him!
This research was carried out as part of an evaluation of Hope Channel and the full report remains confidential.
Creado en colaboración con el Instituto del Ministerio de la Iglesia (Institute of Church Ministry).
Published by ASTR