Hong Kong – Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) and Al-Dawri & Al-Kass Sports Channel (Al-Kass) of Qatar have signed a lease agreement for C-band capacity on AsiaSat 2 to broadcast an Arabic language sports channel to Asia and Australasia. Al-Kass, operated under Qatar’s public broadcast network, Qatar Radio and Television Corporation, is the official channel for the country’s football league. The channel covers regional as well as international sports events with a focus on football. It joins AsiaSat 2 for free to air distribution to promote the Middle Eastern sports events in Asian countries under the satellite’s region wide C-band footprint. Besides this thematic channel, Qatar’s main local television and radio channels Qatar TV and Qatar Radio are also broadcasting along with 16 other Middle Eastern television channels on AsiaSat 2, serving the Arabic speaking community across Asia and Australasia. “Our main local television and radio services have been on AsiaSat 2 since 2006,” said Essa Al-Hitmi, General Manager, Al-Dawri & Al-Kass Sports Channel, describing the coverage as a necessity for Al-Kass’ expansion strategy.