Blog | Manoto TV - Tehran Bureau | FRONTLINE
[ spotlight ] Manoto (Me & You), part of the London-based Marjan TV network, is a Persian-language variety entertainment channel launched in October 2010 and targeted primarily at young adults in Iran. In addition to original news, music, and sports programming, the channel subtitled British television dramas such as Poirot and the BBC miniseries Emma. Two of the most popular programs are reality shows: Befarmaeed Sham (Dinner Is Served), in which participants host dinner parties and compete for the title of best cook and entertainer; and the Googoosh Music Academy, an American Idol-like talent contest hosted by Shah-era pop legend Googoosh. Viewers call in their votes for their favorite singer contestant.
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.
Video (top): A mock interview with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Above: Iranian hip-hop star Hichkas.
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