One-Fifth of Iran’s TV, Radio Programs Dedicated to Islamic Teachings

More than a quarter of all radio and television programs produced in Iran are dedicated to Islamic and religious topics, new research shows.

Out of a total of 345,000 hours of programs produced in the country in 2021, more than 70,000 hours were dedicated to Islamic teachings, the collaborative initiative Iran Open Data said in an article published on April 26.

It said the volume of programs related to Islamic teachings is six times that of scientific topics and three times that of political and economic topics.

Assuming that the production cost is equally distributed among different types of productions, Iran Open Data estimated the cost of producing programs dedicated to Islamic teachings at around $56.2 million annually.

A large portion of the budget of the public service broadcaster, Iranian Broadcasting Corporation’s (IRIB), is appropriated from the general budget.

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Iran Open Data's original article in Persian is available here.  

Founded in 2016, Iran Open Data (IOD) strives to make Iran’s official data accessible, available and re-usable. Not only does IOD collect and process raw datasets for researchers and experts, it also publishes exclusive data-driven articles and digital stories for the general public. Additionally, IOD conducts public data calls and surveys on often neglected or taboo issues that are rarely addressed by the government. Follow IOD for all the data-stories concerning Iran.