The BBC Farsi service has begun to use the Eutelsat W2M satellite (3.1 degrees East) to better reach its audience in Iran. It will soon also start to use Nilesat.
The move follows severe jamming of regular BBC broadcasts on the Eutelsat Hot Bird 6 satellite (13 degrees East). Distribution on Telstar 12 (15 degrees West) has continued without interuption. The broadcaster said in a statement the move was meant to help it reach its Iranian audience as the crisis over their country’s disputed election deepens.
Audiences have also been turning to the online feed of the channel. Last Monday (June 15) the stream was accessed nearly half a million times, more than in the whole of the month of May.
