The world's largest Christian broadcaster, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), has acquired The Holy Land Experience, a Bible-based tourist attraction in Orlando, Fla.

The arrangement was more a handover than a takeover, spokesmen for both organizations told the The Orlando Sentinel. The Holy Land Experience needed financial support and a nationwide promotional platform to remedy sagging attendance and a debt load of about $8 million.

TBN needed land to build TV production studios for the license it recently acquired for an Orlando-area Christian TV station, as well as a back lot for some of its movie production and music videos, the newspaper reported.

"This marriage will bring an unprecedented synergy to both ministries and the production that is done there will be seen by a worldwide audience," Paul Crouch Jr., son of Trinity's founder and vice president of the California-based network, said in a statement. "TBN's involvement made sense because both ministries are about changing and affecting people's lives."

In all, four members of the Crouch family will join The Holy Land Experience's board of directors. Michael Powell, the current president and CEO of The Holy Land Experience, will remain on the new board, The Orlando Sentinel said.

Like TBN, The Holy Land Experience is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. TBN, which owns 34 TV stations in the U.S. and has nearly 400 additional stations or affiliates around the world reaches nearly 100 million U.S. households via broadcast, cable and satellite, network officials said.

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