Press TV, Iran’s leading international English-language news network, is now available in Australia and Oceania via Intelsat 19, a geostationary communications satellite operated by Intelsat.
In a statement on Sunday, the Tehran-headquartered news network said viewers in Australia and the Oceania region would now be able to watch the channel via Intelsat 19, also known as IS-19.
The channel is accessible via Intelsat 19 at 166°E, with a frequency of 12606 MHz, horizontal polarization, and a symbol rate of 30,000.
Intelsat 19, launched on June 1, 2012, replaced the Intelsat 8 satellite. Equipped with 24 C-band and 34 Ku-band transponders, Intelsat 19 provides coverage across the Asia-Pacific region.
Press TV is currently available on several satellites, including Intelsat 20 (68.5°E), which serves Europe and Africa, and Yamal 402 (54.9°E), a Russian geostationary communications satellite that provides coverage across Russia, Europe, West Asia, and parts of Africa.
In addition, Press TV is also available on Paksat 1R (38.0°E), a geostationary communications satellite operated by PAKSAT International, which provides coverage across South Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and East Africa. It is also available on Badr 5 (26.0°E), a satellite operated by Arabsat, offering coverage across West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, and Europe.
Since its inception in July 2007, Press TV has been taken off air from many satellites due to illegal American and European sanctions on flimsy pretexts.
In December 2022, weeks after the European Union imposed sanctions on Press TV, French satellite operator Eutelsat informed the network of its decision to shut down the channel.
Press TV anniversary: 17 years of being the voice of the voiceless.
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) July 2, 2024
Follow us on Telegram: https://t.co/GKZwI4ePgj pic.twitter.com/UL5R1rhpHk
Eutelsat provides satellite coverage across Europe, West Asia, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
In a statement at the time, Press TV management described the ban as "media terrorism."
The “hostile” move by Eutelsat, the statement said, is “just one of the rings in the chain of measures that has been designed to muzzle the only voice of the Iranian people in the English-language media environment.”
In July 2013, Press TV was forced off the air in the UK after the media regulator Ofcom revoked its license for allegedly breaching the Communications Act.
In the same year, it was also taken off the air in North America after the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
Press TV was dropped from the Galaxy 19 satellite platform in February 2013, which had allowed it to broadcast in the United States and Canada.
In April 2012, the Munich-based media regulator BLM also announced it was removing Press TV from the SES Astra satellite, citing the network’s alleged lack of a license to broadcast in Europe.
Meanwhile, iFilm English channel, which is also operated by IRIB’s World Service, will also be available on Intelsat 19 now to viewers in Australia and Oceania.
It is a 24-hour entertainment channel that broadcasts Iranian films and TV series dubbed into English.