SAHAR English TV

SAHAR English TV is the English-language service associated with Sahar TV, an international broadcasting operation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). In the reference Wikipedia subject, Sahar TV is described as part of Sahar Universal Network, commonly abbreviated SUN, the IRIB branch responsible for overseas television services in several languages. The network's wider portfolio has included Azeri, Balkan, Kurdish, Urdu, Persian and English programming, with services aimed at audiences beyond Iran. The English service began on 16 December 1997, when Sahar Universal Network introduced one hour of English-language programming per day. Its airtime was subsequently expanded to as much as four hours daily. The service was designed to present Iranian and Islamic perspectives to international viewers. Its stated or described purpose was not limited to news reporting: the schedule also included programming related to Islamic education, politics, social issues, science, documentaries, video clips and game shows. This mixture gave the channel a broader general-interest profile than a narrowly defined news outlet, although its institutional affiliation and editorial orientation place it within Iran's state international-media system. Sahar TV's distribution footprint has been international rather than domestic. The referenced coverage identifies Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, parts of North Africa, Oceania, the Indian subcontinent and East Asia among the regions reached by Sahar services. The precise availability of the English service may vary by period, platform and territory; no single current distribution map is established in the supplied material. The channel became the subject of a significant broadcasting dispute in France in February 2005. French-based satellite operator Eutelsat stopped carrying Sahar TV following an order from an administrative court. The action was connected to allegations that the channel had promoted antisemitism through its broadcast of Zahra's Blue Eyes, a Syrian television series produced by Lebanon's Al-Manar, which is associated with Hezbollah. Iraqi information official Nazar Heydar criticized the French decision as incompatible with international human-rights conventions. The episode illustrates the tension surrounding Sahar TV's international distribution, editorial content and the legal regulation of satellite broadcasting in Europe. Sahar English TV should therefore be understood as an international public-state broadcaster and language service rather than as an independent commercial television company. Its identity is tied to Sahar Universal Network and IRIB, and its principal role is cross-border dissemination of English-language news, documentary, cultural, social and religious programming. Publicly documented information about current executives, corporate finances, commercial products and present-day scheduling is limited, so those fields remain unfilled here.

Sahar TV is an international television operation within the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting system. It belongs to Sahar Universal Network, the IRIB unit established to communicate with audiences outside Iran through multilingual television services. The network has been associated with programming in Azeri, Balkan, Kurdish, Urdu and English, among other languages. Rather than operating as a standalone commercial broadcaster, Sahar TV functions as part of Iran's state international-media infrastructure. The English-language service began on 16 December 1997. At launch, it transmitted approximately one hour of English programming each day. The service later increased its daily airtime to as much as four hours. Its described mission combined the presentation of Islamic education with broader international television content. Programming included political and news material, but also scientific and social documentaries, video clips and game shows. This range indicates an effort to address viewers through both informational and general-interest formats rather than relying exclusively on formal religious or political broadcasts. Sahar's intended audience was geographically dispersed. Reference material places its broadcasts across Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as parts of North Africa, Oceania, the Indian subcontinent and East Asia. Distribution was therefore dependent on international transmission and satellite carriage, and the service's availability could differ between regions and across time. The supplied sources do not establish a complete current platform list or a definitive contemporary schedule. The channel's international role also generated regulatory controversy. In February 2005, a French administrative court directed Eutelsat to discontinue carriage of Sahar TV. The decision followed allegations concerning the broadcast of Zahra's Blue Eyes, a Syrian television series produced by Lebanon's Al-Manar, a broadcaster associated with Hezbollah. Critics alleged that the program incited antisemitism. Iraqi information director Nazar Heydar objected to the French action and argued that it violated human-rights conventions. The incident remains the principal controversy identified in the supplied reference material and demonstrates how Sahar's programming could become subject to legal and political scrutiny outside Iran. The available public material does not provide reliable information about Sahar TV's founding personnel, current management, financial performance, corporate legal structure, or a complete record of later programming changes. The English service is consequently best documented through its institutional affiliation, launch and expansion of English-language airtime, geographic ambitions, programming categories and the 2005 carriage dispute.

• 2005

  French satellite carriage suspended

  [1]Sahar TVen.wikipedia.org

  Following an administrative-court order in France, Eutelsat stopped carrying Sahar TV in connection with allegations surrounding the broadcast of Zahra's Blue Eyes.

• 1997

  English-language broadcasting begins

  [1]Sahar TVen.wikipedia.org

  Sahar Universal Network began transmitting English-language programming on 16 December 1997, initially for about one hour per day.

• English airtime expanded

  [1]Sahar TVen.wikipedia.org

  The English service gradually increased its daily output to as much as four hours, although the supplied reference does not specify the dates of each expansion.

An Iranian state-international broadcasting service presenting English-language news, Islamic education, documentaries, social and scientific programming, cultural material and entertainment to audiences outside Iran.

• International television channel · 1997

  Sahar English TV

  The English-language television service of Sahar Universal Network. It was launched in 1997 with one hour of daily programming and later expanded to as much as four hours. Its documented content mix includes news and political material, Islamic education, scientific and social documentaries, clips and game shows, serving international audiences outside Iran.

• International broadcasting network

  Sahar TV multilingual network

  The broader Sahar TV operation is part of Sahar Universal Network and has provided overseas television services in multiple languages, including Azeri, Balkan, Kurdish and Urdu. Its regional services are intended for audiences in Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, parts of Africa, Oceania, South Asia and East Asia.

• 2005

  French ban linked to Zahra's Blue Eyes broadcast

  In February 2005, a French administrative court ordered Eutelsat to stop carrying Sahar TV. The action followed allegations that the channel's broadcast of Zahra's Blue Eyes, produced by Lebanon's Al-Manar, incited antisemitism. Iraqi official Nazar Heydar condemned the decision as a human-rights violation.

  Source

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• 2005

  Eutelsat carriage termination in FranceOther

  Background

  French authorities reviewed Sahar TV's transmission after allegations concerning the broadcast of Zahra's Blue Eyes and its alleged antisemitic content.

  Action taken

  A French administrative court ordered Eutelsat to stop carrying Sahar TV.

  Aftermath

  The decision restricted the channel's French satellite distribution and prompted criticism from Iraqi information official Nazar Heydar, who said the ban conflicted with human-rights conventions.

  Source

• 1997

  Launch of English-language international serviceStrategy

  Background

  Sahar Universal Network sought to extend its multilingual international broadcasting role to English-speaking audiences.

  Action taken

  The network began broadcasting English-language programs for approximately one hour per day on 16 December 1997.

  Aftermath

  English airtime was later increased to as much as four hours daily, with programming spanning religious, political, documentary and entertainment formats.

  Source

1. 1Sahar TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2SAHAR TV official websitesahartv.ir