The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; ) or Seda o Sima () for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian Revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopoly of domestic radio and television services in Iran. It is also among the largest media organizations in Asia and the Pacific region and a regular member of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. Its head is appointed directly by the supreme leader.
With 13,000 employees and branches in 20 countries worldwide, including Italy, France, Belgium, Guyana, Malaysia, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting offers both domestic and foreign radio and television services, broadcasting 12 domestic television channels, four international news television channels, six satellite television channels for international audiences, and 30 provincial television channels countrywide, half of which are broadcast in minority-status languages in Iran, such as Azerbaijani and Kurdish, as well as the local dialects of Persian. IRIB provides 12 radio stations for domestic audiences, and through the IRIB World Service, 30 radio stations are available for foreign and international audiences. It also publishes the Persian-language newspaper Jam-e Jam.
On 24 April 1940, Radio Iran was officially opened by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi â the then crown prince of Iran â with Isa Sedigh as the first head of the company. The channel broadcast five hour programs including news, traditional and western music, religious and sports programming as well as programs dedicated to economic and political discussion. according to estimates from the Statistical Center of Iran, in 1976 about 76% of urban population and 45% of rural population had access to the radio.
National Iranian Television officially opened on 21 March 1967 to create National Iranian Radio and Television. At that time, hardware equipment was at the disposal of the Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone and its media was producing by Advertising and publishing department. In later years, radio and television expansion request across the country to create an integrated entity and from 1971 all facilities were given to National Radio and Television. The Shah personally appointed Reza Ghotbi as head of organization, and the duration of the programs increased quickly.
Before the 1979 revolution about 40% of TV programs were foreign, and imported and internal programs were usually modeled after foreign programs. After the revolution two TV channels (first program and second program) were active and with facility expansion, more than 95% of the urban population and about 75% of the overall population was able to receive TV signals.
During the Iranian Revolution, when Gholam Reza Azhari became prime minister of Iran, Touraj Farazmand was chosen for head of National Iranian Radio and Television after Reza Ghotbi.
The organization expanded greatly after the revolution, and in addition to internal and global broadcasting channels, it manages more than 100 electronic and written media.
Since the late 2000s, IRIB has significantly expanded its operations. From operating seven terrestrial and three satellite channels in 2007, the broadcaster grew to encompass 12 national channels, 33 provincial channels, two internet-based channels and 10 international outlets by 2013. Beginning in 2010, IRIB launched several digital and high-definition thematic channels, including those dedicated to health, animation and teleshopping. These expansions occurred despite international sanctions and the partial blocking of its broadcasts abroad.
While remaining within ideological boundaries set by the government, IRIB has softened aspects of its programming style, with observers noting an increased use of vibrant production design, limited incorporation of pop music and more relaxed visual presentation standards. The broadcaster has also adopted elements from Western television formats and engaged more directly with themes popularized by foreign Persian-language channels (often hostile to the Islamic Republic). The 24-hour film channel Namayesh frequently broadcast Persian-dubbed Hollywood films, with sensitive content censored digitally.
IRIB has also permitted more discussion of social and political issues with one sport talk show allowing callers to air grievances extending beyond sports, including criticism of public officials. Documentary programs on IRIB also adopted an investigative format to address social issues and even publicly questioning the accountability of authorities. These changes have drawn criticism from conservative clerical figures, with one cleric condemning IRIB for airing a comedy series that featured a clerical character.
In a 2012 BBC/Gallup poll, 86 percent of respondents regarded IRIB as their primary source of information, while 26 percent reported using satellite television in a country with near-universal television ownership.
By 2016, domestic online channels, foreign Persian-language channels and social networks began to challenge the monopoly of IRIB.
During the Twelve-Day War, IRIB's headquarters including the studio of Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) in Tehran was hit by an Israeli airstrike on 16 June during a live broadcast resulting in a temporary halt in programming. Two IRIB employees, including IRINN's editor-in-chief, were killed in the attack, while the station said its offices were struck by four bombs. The attack was condemned as a war crime by the International Federation of Journalists, saying "under international law, journalists are civilians, and deliberate attacks against them constitute war crimes". The Committee to Protect Journalists also condemned the strike. During this attack, the presenter's bravery went viral on social media. The presenter shouted "Allah-u-Akbar" several times, when she heard the sound of bombs.
On 9 January, during nation wide protests, a fire broke out at an IRIB office in Isfahan. On 18 January, several IRIB channels were briefly hacked. During the disruption, videos related to the protests were aired, including a message from Reza Pahlavi directed at the protesters.
The IRIB sign includes the Emblem of the Islamic Republic at the top and two characters "ÃÂç". When this sign was conceived at the beginning of the revolution, it represented the revolution's slogan of "neither Eastern, nor Western â Islamic Republic" and thus symbolized denial of both capitalist and communist influence or specifically the United States and Soviet Union. These two words at the middle get together like a channel and there is an eye sign at the intersection of them (which was later adapted into the logo of the flagship television channel). At the bottom of the sign, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting phrase is written in Nastaliq font in the Persian language.
According to Article 175 of the Iranian constitution,
The director-general of IRIB is Peyman Jebelli, who was appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran in 2021.
The isolation of IranâÂÂs movie industry has forced filmmakers to reorient themselves around national television broadcasters. These networks churn out ideological products in line with the stateâÂÂs Islamic gender norms, with women sometimes cast in traditional roles and deferential to men, who are portrayed as their guardians and protectors. Amid the intensified conflict with the United States, IranâÂÂs security establishment has emerged as a major producer of blockbuster television and film centering on the prowess of the Revolutionary Guards and its intelligence services. Iran is awash in sophisticated domestic versions of âÂÂHomeland,â and lacks the self-interrogating, subversive cinema that allows a society to have a public conversation with itself about gender, culture, marriage, and power.
A study published in June 2020 by the Justice for Iran and the International Federation for Human Rights claimed that Iranian television had broadcast the potentially coerced confessions of 355 detainees since 2010. Former prisoners stated they had been beaten and been threatened with sexual violence as a means for their false confessions to be delivered for use by the country's broadcasters.
IRIB, along with other Iranian state-run media, tend to censor or silence voices or opinions of reformist politicians as well as ridicule them even as the reformists are in power since IRIB's editorial bias is closer to the Supreme Leader and the Principlists.
In April 2024, IRIB reported on the April 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel â but it actually showed footage of a fire in Chile (not Israel), filmed several months prior.
In 1989, five IRIB employees were prosecuted over a radio report in which Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, was described as not being a suitable role model for women since she lived centuries ago. The incident reportedly resulted in lashes and purges in the agency.
In April 2025, four IRIB employees were arrested on charges related to the airing of a TV program insulting the Sunni caliph Abu Bakr. IRIB head Peiman Jebeli condemned the remarks as âÂÂseditionâ and âÂÂunforgivable wrongdoing.âÂÂ
Pursuant to the United States Presidential Executive Order 13628, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is subjected to U.S. sanctions under the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act which gives the U.S. Treasury Department the authority to designate those in Iran who restrict or deny the free flow of information to or from the Iranian people.
IRIB was placed in the list of sanctioned entities of the European Union in December 2022 due to its role in the repression of the Mahsa Amini protests. Following this order, Eutelsat ceased broadcasts of the IRIB international channels for the Europe region via Hot Bird satellite on 21 December 2022.