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Iran: Regime admits over 40% Iranians view satellite TV despite crackdown

INTV’s famous political comedy program has many viewers in iran
NCRI – The latest report by the research center of the Iranian regime’s state-run TV network (IRIB) claims that over 42% of Iranians illegally watch satellite TV channels and viewers spend three hours daily to view the programs that are broadcast into Iran from abroad.

The statistics presented in the report are far lower than the figures already stated by some regime officials. An official recently admitted that the regime had failed in its bid to ban people from watching satellite TV channels.

Despite a 1994 law making satellite dishes illegal, up to 70 per cent of families have them and their use is increasing, state-run TV network boss Fardin Ali-Khah said.

“Although their use is now forbidden, they can be seen everywhere. Statistics show that the use of satellite dishes has never declined, and currently there is 50 to 70 per cent use of satellite dishes in Iranian families.”

Jamming satellite signals and other methods to prevent their use had also failed, and the government now needs to find other solutions, Ali-khah insisted.

This is despite the fact that since the election in June the crackdown on satellite viewer has intensified.

On August 14, the Iranian regime’s Moral Security police announced that it has arrested 107 people and seized 16,000 satellite dishes in a wave of crackdown on accessing satellite TV networks.

Brigadier Mohammad-Masoud Zahedian said raids took place in Tehran and 18 other cities in second week of August, and 5400 receivers and 11,000 other items including satellite dishes, motors and LNBs were confiscated.

Zahedian added: “The forces of moral security police identified and destroyed a satellite dish production unit in west of Tehran province.

“During the inspection of the workshop, 200 satellite dishes ready for shipping and 1,000 under production were discovered.

The seizures came after tens of thousands of Iranians raised 4.55 million dollars in a four-day telethon on Iran National Television (Simay-e Azadi) opposition satellite TV. The participants expressed their support for the Iranian Resistance and its President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.

Donors used satellite dishes within Iran to watch the broadcast from August 9 to 13, while thousands more viewed the event in 34 countries around the world.

Meanwhile, on 7 August 2013 the Iranian regime sentenced a man to six years in prison for selling DVDs containing copies of comedy programs regularly aired by opposition TV channel Simay-e Azadi or Iran National Television (INTV).

Farhad Rabie, owner of a shop that distributes and sells music and movie DVDs was sentenced on 7 August 2013 to 6 years in prison. He was arrested on the third week of May 2013 in Shahr-e Kord, in Isfahan provinceon the same charge but was later released on bail, but ultimately the ruling against him was confirmed and he was sent back to prison.

The programs of this TV channel particularly its comedy programs which expose the mullahs and leaders of the mullahs’ regime are very popular among the Iranian people especially youths and its video clips are distributed throughout the country.