Television in Iran

[1] Its programming included quiz shows and American programmes dubbed into Persian, and appealed to an unsophisticated audience.

[6] However, by 1963, it claimed to have lost 70 million rials, and its owners attempted to sell the station to the government, but by then it had already approved plans for its own television network.

[12] However, in that year it was decided by the Iranian government that AFRTS should close down its radio and TV services, which it did on October 25.

[17] The large budget allocations that were provided to NIRT, a reflection of the organisation's role in development, enabled it to use the latest technologies, including microwave delivery systems, to overcome problems of mountainous terrain.

[18] Before then, in 1973, NIRT had already established a total of 14 television production centres with 153 transmitters, covering approximately 88 cities and towns in Iran, accounting for 60 per cent of the population.

[19] The following year, this had increased to fifteen, including two in Tehran, as well as one each in the provincial cities of Abadan, Ardebil, Bandar Abbas, Esfahan, Kerman, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Mahabad, Mashad, Rasht, Rezaiyeh, Sanandaj, Tabriz and Zahedan.

[23] The standard was changed to the French SECAM in February 1977, resulting in imported television sets becoming unusable.

[25] This appealed to the 60 000 US Army and civilian personnel then stationed in Iran, as well as the wider population of foreign nationals resident in the country.

[27] As a result of IRIB's monopoly and censorship, satellite television channels, most notably Persian language ones based in Europe and North America, have gained popularity in Iran.