Leonard Asper’s Fight Network has launched in Turkey on the D-Smart digital platform.

“Fight Network is excited about the opportunity to penetrate the European and MENA markets with our launch in Turkey,” Asper, CEO of the Canadian MMA specialty channel, said Friday in a statement.

“Fight Network-Turkey with its vast potential in the marketplace marks a significant step in our international expansion strategy,” he added.

The deal was welcomed by D-Smart CEO Ali Güven as bringing new sports content to his service.

D-Smart offers broadcast channels and digital content to over 1.7 million users.

Asper knows the Turkish market after his former CanWest Global Communications Corp. in 2006 moved into the Turkish radio market as part of a similar international growth strategy.