Manoto 1
| Manoto1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | October 28, 2010 |
| Owned by | Marjan Television Network Ltd. |
| Picture format | 16:9 (576i, SDTV) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Persian |
| Broadcast area | Middle East, United Kingdom, Northern Africa (including Persian-speaking areas of Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan) |
| Affiliates | Manoto2 (closed in June 2011) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Website | manoto1.com |
Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Hotbird 13C | 11317-V-27500-3/4 |
| Eutelsat 7A | 10721-H-22000-1/2 |
| Badr 4 | 12111-H-27500-3/4 |
Manoto1 (Persian: من و تو ۱, English: Me and You) is an international free-to-air Persian-language general entertainment channel launched in October 2010 that is owned by Marjan TV corporation, which is established by Kayvan and Marjan Abbassi with Rupert Murdoch's Financial support, It is based in London and its programs include documentaries, films, series, news and reports.[1][2]
It has outstripped its closest rivals, BBC Persian, Farsi 1, GEM TV and Voice of America (VOA), according to the number of "likes" each channel receives on its Facebook page. As of April 2013, Manoto has had nearly 1.25 million likes on Facebook, twice as many as the BBC’s Persian.[3] Manoto's viewership rates are difficult to determine; however, anecdotal reports about the channel's ubiquitous popularity suggests that it has gained rapidly in market share to rival more established satellite channels like BBC Persian and VOA Farsi. According to a BBC report in 2008, these channels may be watched by at least 30 percent of households inside Iran.[4]
Manoto1 is partly funded by corporate sponsorships and has been sponsored in the past by companies that sell consumer products inside Iran, including Samsung and LG, according to Marjan TV's website and Clarus Design's Meddin. Manoto's funding also comes from venture capitalists, according to a 2011 report on human rights and information access in Iran by the Foreign Policy Centre, a UK-based independent think tank. The report did not name the venture capital firms behind the station.[5] However, many Iranian analysts believes that the channel is promoting Iran's ousted monarchy purposefully.[3]
Popular Programs
Googoosh Music Academy
In this program, Googoosh and her team of experts, Hooman Khalatbari and Babak Saeedi, help unknown Persian performers maximize their talent in vocal music and singing, like the American program, American Idol. It was also launched in the British TV channel, Unique TV.[6]
Befarmaeed Sham
"Befarmaeed Sham بفرمائید شام" (English: "Dinner Is Served"), is the Iranian answer to the UK cooking show Come Dine With Me, in which participants host dinner parties and compete for the title of best cook and entertainer.[4] It had millions of fans since launching in 2010. In the process, it has also irked Iran's Islamic government.[5]
References
- ↑ "About us". Manoto1. 2010-11-30.
- ↑ "~ﺱ ﺍﺯ "ﺑﻔﺮﻣﺎﯾﯿﺪ ﺷﺎﻡ ﺍﯾﺮﺍﻧﯽ" ﻧﻮﺑﺖ "ﺁﮐﺎﺩﻣﯽ ﻣﻮﺳﯿﻘﯽ ﺍﯾﺮﺍﻧﯽ" ﺭﺳﯿﺪ!" (in Persian). ﺳﯿﻨﻤﺎﯼ ﻣﺎ. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Monavar Khalaj (10 April 2013). "Primetime battle for Iran’s airwaves". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Blog | Manoto TV". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Torbati, Yeganeh. "London TV channel dips a toe into Iran culture war". Reuters. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ "Googoosh Music Academy". Unique Television. Retrieved 11 January 2012.