A Brief History of the Development of Satellite Channels in Iran

In his article former resident CMDS fellow Fardin Alikhah gives an overview of Iran's media environment, arguing that the Persian satellite channels launched outside Iran have initiated media pluralism in Iran. As Alikhah writes, "it was around 1991 when satellite dishes were first observed on roofs in Tehran. After approximately 25 years, 100 Persian satellite channels launched outside Iran are now broadcasting various programmes for Iranians. This article will provide a short account of Iran’s media environment. The main objective of this article is to examine the developments in Persian satellite channels, which are divided into three periods. The primary features of each will be scrutinized. It will be argued that although these channels have been banned by the Iranian government, they have initiated media pluralism in Iran." The article is available here.

Fardin Alikhah is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Guilan in Iran. He holds a BA in Sociology from Tabriz University and an MA in Sociology and a PhD in Political Sociology from the Allameh Tabatabaei University in Iran. His research interests broadly concern media sociology, urban sociology, music sociology and sociology of consumption. His writings and research interests include topics such as consumerism, satellite channels in Iran, social media and change, youth and new media. He is currently doing work in the areas of social media and activism.