Iran’s Press TV seeks Venezuelan satellite access
November 18, 2013
By Chris Forrester
Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster is in talks with Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar satellite’s owners in an attempt to get Iranian channels back on air internationally. IRIB wants carriage for its Spanish-language version of Press TV (Hispan-TV). Hispan TV, launched in December 2011, has since been dropped by most European and US satellite operators because of United Nations and other sanctions on Iran.
The Simon Boilivar/Venesat-1 craft is operated by the country’s Ministry of Science & Technology and has just 12 C-band and 14 Ku-band transponders, and operates from 78 degrees West and transmits to all of South America and much of North America (in C-band).