| Network Name: | Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting |
| Network Logo: | IRIB Logo.svg |
| Headquarters: | Jaame Jam, Park-Ave, Valiasr Street, Tehran |
| Country: | Iran |
| Network Type: | Broadcast radio, television and online |
| Available: | National International |
| Owner: | Government of Iran (publicly owned) |
| Founder: | Isa Siddique |
| Launch Date: | 1929 (radio) 1958 (television) 1966 (incorporated) 1979 (current form) |
| Revenue: | 40 trillion IRR ($950 million) (2019)[1] |
| Former Names: | National Iranian Radio and Television |
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; Persian: صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران) 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.[2] [3] Its head is appointed directly by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.[4]
With 13,000 employees and branches in 20 countries worldwide, including France, Belgium, Guyana, Malaysia, Lebanon, United Kingdom, the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting offers both domestic and foreign radio and television services, broadcasting twelve domestic television channels, four international news television channels, six satellite television channels for international audiences, and thirty provincial television channels available countrywide, half of which are broadcast in minority-status languages in Iran, for example Azerbaijani and Kurdish, as well as the local accents or dialects of Persian. IRIB provides twelve radio stations for domestic audiences, and through the IRIB World Service, thirty radio stations are available for foreign and international audiences. It also publishes the Persian-language newspaper Jam-e Jam.[5]
On 24 April 1940, Radio Iran was officially opened by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi – the then crown prince of Iran – with Isa Sedigh as the first head of the company.[6] 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 was given to National Radio and Television. The Shah personally appointed Reza Ghotbi as head of organization and the duration of the programs increased quickly. At the end of revolution two TV channels (first program and second program) was active and with facilities expansion, more than 95% of Urban population and about 75% of country population was able to receive TV waves. Before the revolution about 40% of TV programs was foreign and also imported and internal programs were usually modelled from foreign programs.
During the revolution, when Arteshbod Azhari became prime minister of Iran, Touraj Farazmand was chosen for head of National Iranian Radio and Television after Reza Ghotbi.[7]
The organization expanded greatly after 1979 revolution, and in addition to internal and global broadcasting channels, it manages more than one hundred electronic and written media.
A broadcasting budget of 4000 billion Tomans was expected in the 2018 budget bill, however, according to Ali Asgari (the organization manager), a channel budget like that of BBC Persian consists of over 6000 billion Tomans and IRIB needs a larger budget for managing 62 TV channels and 83 radio channels.
The IRIB sign includes Emblem of the Islamic Republic at the top and two words «لا» in Arabic; Shia font used for creating this sign. When this sign was conceived at the beginning of the revolution, it represented the revolution's slogan of "not Eastern, nor Western – Islamic Republican" and thus was a sign of «say no» to Western and East countries or specifically 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,
Prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, IRIB was known as National Iranian Radio and Television (NIRT).[8]
The constitution further specifies that the director of the organization is chosen directly by the Supreme Leader for five years, and the head of the judiciary branch, the president, and the Islamic Consultative Assembly oversee the organization. The first director after the 1979 Revolution was Sadeq Qotbzadeh. The current director is Peyman Jebelli. The previous directors included Abdulali Ali-Asghari, Mohammad Sarafraz, Ezzatollah Zarghami, Ali Larijani and Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani. The Sima Festival is a TV productions contest sponsored annually by IRIB organization for the best producers, directors, actors and directors in multiple categories.
| Post: | Director-General |
| Body: | the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting |
| Incumbent: | Peyman Jebelli |
| Incumbentsince: | 2021 |
| Reports To: | Council of representatives of two each from: President of Iran Head of the Judiciary Islamic Consultative Assembly |
| Appointer: | Supreme Leader of Iran |
| Formation: | 1966 (as Director-General of National Iranian Radio and Television) |
| Constituting Instrument: | Article 175 of the Constitution of Iran |
| Inaugural: | Reza Ghotbi |
| Precursor: | Director-General of National Iranian Radio and Television (1966–1979) |
| Insignia: | IRIB Logo.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 150px |
The director-general of IRIB is Peyman Jebelli, who was appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran in 2021.
| President | Years | Time in post | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reza Ghotbi | 1966–1979 | 13 years | |
| 2 | Sadegh Ghotbzadeh | 1979 | 1 year | |
| — | Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha (acting) & Other acting committees | 1979–1981 | 2 years | |
| 3 | Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani | 1981–1994 | 12 years | |
| 4 | Ali Larijani | 1994–2004 | 10 years | |
| 5 | Ezzatollah Zarghami | 2004–2014 | 10 years | |
| 6 | Mohammad Sarafraz | 2014–2016 | 2 years | |
| 7 | Abdulali Ali-Asgari | 2016–2021 | 5 years | |
| 8 | Peyman Jebelli | 2021–present | in post |
The isolation of Iran’s movie industry has forced filmmakers to reorient themselves around national television broadcasters. These networks churn out ideological products in line with the state’s 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, Iran’s 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 “Homeland,” and lacks the self-interrogating, subversive cinema that allows a society to have a public conversation with itself about gender, culture, marriage and power.[10]
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.[11] Former prisoners stated they had been beaten and received threats of sexual violence as a means for their false testimonies 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 ridicule them even as the reformists are in power since IRIB's editorial bias is more closer to the Supreme Leader and the Principlist.[12] [13]
In 2024, Iranian state television under the guise of supposed destruction in Israel due to an attack by Iranian missiles and drones, actually showed footage of a fire in Chile, filmed several months ago.[14]
Pursuant to the United States Presidential Executive Order 13628, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is subjected to U.S. sanctions under Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act which gives the Treasury Department the authority to designate those in Iran who restrict or deny the free flow of information to or from the Iranian people.[15]
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.[16] Following this order, Eutelsat ceased broadcasts of the IRIB international channels for the Europe region via Hot Bird satellite on 21 December 2022.[17]