The director of the external services of Iran’s state television Payman Jebelli has said in an interview with Tasnim news agency(link is external) on Monday that launching a Russian language TV channel is the state television’s top priority.
Jebelli said: “We have prepared the infrastructure for the network, but we are still discussing whether this should be a news channel or a drama channel.”
Iran’s state TV’s domestic and foreign broadcasts carry news programming and Shiite ideology as well as channels propagating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s anti-US world vision.
Jebelli said that the IRIB has converted its Russian Radio into an Internet-based TV service since January 2020, but “we have been thinking to further develop the program.” Iran probably intends to target audiences in former Soviet Republics in central Asia and the Caucasus, an idea that cannot be welcomed by Russia.
Meanwhile, Jebelli told Tasnim that the IRIB External Services are likely to have a budget independent of the IRIB and the executive branch. He added that he is discussing the issue of independent budget with the government and “other places,” possibly meaning Khamenei’s office, which directly supervises the state-run radio and television.
IRIB programs in many languages beaming programs into the Middle East via Al Alam TV and iFilm (in Arabic), France, Africa, former Soviet and Balkan Republics (via Sahar and Al Kowthar networks) South America (via Hispan TV) as well as Europe and the United States (Press TV). However, Iranian TV’s popularity has been diminishing over the years inside and outside the country because of its propaganda nature.
Source » trackpersia