TV channels Iran

Iranian television lives in two worlds: the state broadcaster IRIB, which holds the monopoly on domestic radio and television and runs one of the largest media organizations in Asia, and a ring of Persian-language services beamed in from abroad.

The IRIB National Family

IRIB TV5 combines documentary and science programming with regional windows for the provinces. IRIB TV1 is the main general channel, carrying news, drama, religious programs and national events. IRIB TV2 turns to culture, arts and family programming, IRIB TV3 has long been the home of major sport, and IRIB TV4 is the channel of science and intellectual content. Entertainment appears through IRIB Nasim, IRIB Namayesh and IRIB Tamasha. The family also includes the sports channel IRIB Varzesh, launched on 18 July 2012, the children's service IRIB Pooya & Nahal, the religious IRIB Quran and the documentary channel Mostanad TV.

News at Home and Abroad

IRINN is IRIB's round-the-clock news channel broadcasting from Tehran. For audiences abroad, IRIB runs an international arm: Press TV - English and Press TV - French form the state international news service launched on 8 July 2007, Al-Alam is the Arabic-language news channel, and Hispan TV has broadcast in Spanish since December 2011. Jame Jam TV, with its regional feeds Jame Jam TV 2 and Jame Jam TV 3, carries Iranian programs to Persian-speaking audiences outside the country, while Sahar TV belongs to the Sahar Universal Network broadcasting in Azeri, Balkan languages, Kurdish and Urdu. Al Kawthar TV is IRIB's Arabic-language religious channel.

Persian-Language Television from Abroad

A second, outward-facing layer of Persian-language broadcasters operates from outside Iran. PMC TV - the Persian Music Channel - has carried Persian music videos from Lucerne since 2003. Pars TV and Channel One TV serve the Iranian diaspora from Los Angeles, Persian Bazaar TV focuses on entertainment and culture, and AFNL Music - Tin Tv adds more music. News in Persian from abroad is represented by VOA Farsi, the Persian service of Voice of America, and by the opposition satellite channel Simay Azadi TV.

Religious Channels in the Lineup

Faith-based broadcasting watched by Iranian and regional audiences rounds out the picture. The Imam Hussein TV family appears in several language services - Persian, Arabic, English and Urdu among them - carrying Shia religious programming. Assyrian TV serves the Assyrian community with cultural programming, and Miracle Arabic Channel carries Arabic-language faith content.