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Manoto

Persian television network

Manoto (Persian: من و تو, lit.'You and I') is an international free-to-air Persian language general entertainment channel launched in October 2010, owned by Marjan Television Network. It is based in London and its programs included documentaries, films, series, news and reports. Manoto promotes Iranian monarchism, and backs former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

The channel ceased satellite broadcasting on 31 January 2024, but continued to operate via social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. In 2025, Manoto returned as a subscription service internationally, and free-to-air in Iran via satellite.

01Overview

Marjan Television Network was established by Kayvan Abbassi and Marjan Abbassi.

Manoto's funding came 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. However, many Iranian analysts believed that the channel was promoting Iran's ousted monarchy.

Kayvan and Marjan Abbassi, the UK-based Iranian couple who launched Manoto 1, in 2010, stayed out of the media spotlight. They and other Manoto 1 officials had usually declined to comment for their company and TV channel despite repeated requests for interviews.

02Viewership

Manoto's viewership rates were difficult to determine; however, anecdotal reports about the channel's ubiquitous popularity suggested that it had gained rapidly in market share to rival more established satellite channels like BBC Persian and VOA Persian TV. According to a BBC report in 2008, these channels may be watched by at least 30 percent of households inside Iran.

04Political positions

Manoto TV backs former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. It is described by Bloomberg News as an "explicitly monarchist, anti-regime and pro-Israel" broadcaster.

Armin Messager writes that Manoto creates a nostalgia for the return of the Pahlavi dynasty, while completely omitting the torture and wealth inequality that occurred during Pahlavi rule. Messager gives as an example where Manoto broadcast an interview with a former SAVAK official Parviz Sabeti, who justified torturing dissidents during Pahlavi rule.

Watch videos about ManotoExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Manoto, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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