From State TV to YouTube: The New Voice of Iranian Debate

A new generation of online talk shows, podcasts, and video debates is reshaping Iran’s media culture, offering citizens, activists, and academics spaces to speak and listen

For decades, Iranians had little choice in where they turned for news and commentary. Inside the country, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) controlled every television and radio station, shaping public narratives within strict ideological limits. Those seeking alternative voices looked outward—to BBC Persian, Iran International, Voice of America, or Radio Farda—foreign-based Persian media that broadcast narratives often critical of the regime but that can be detached from everyday life inside Iran.

That landscape is changing. Over the past decade, the rise of smartphones, faster internet, and social media platforms has quietly ended IRIB’s monopoly on public discourse. A new generation of online talk shows, podcasts, and video debates is reshaping Iran’s media culture, offering citizens, activists, and academics spaces to speak—and to listen—in ways that were previously unimaginable.

This transformation is not just technological. It represents a social and political turning point, where Iranians now create their own digital stages for discussion, bypassing both state media and foreign broadcasters. On platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram, they can now criticize government policy, question religious authority, and even debate the Supreme Leader’s role—often from within Iran itself.

Alongside traditional news and reports, the talk show has emerged as one of the most influential formats in Persian-language media. Its appeal lies in both the guest’s prominence and the interviewer’s ability to ask difficult, meaningful questions. As production tools became accessible and internet platforms democratized publishing, nearly anyone—from professional journalists to university students—could create their own media outlet.

This democratization weakened the monopoly once held by large state institutions like IRIB. Citizen journalism and user-generated video content diluted centralized control and censorship, making it impossible for authorities to fully suppress alternative conversations. Although the term “talk show” once referred to programs aired by broadcasters, Persian users soon adapted it for online spaces. Podcasts—called “paadava” in Persian—expanded the range further, offering downloadable audio programs to listeners across the world.

Despite chronic challenges—slow internet, ideological filtering, and occasional harassment—Iranian audiences embraced these platforms with enthusiasm. YouTube, in particular, offered both a freer space for sensitive discussions and avenues for monetization. The participatory nature of social media, where viewers could comment, share, and directly influence content, made these new talk shows deeply interactive.

Dozens of Persian-language channels now produce debate-driven content. Among the most prominent are ECO Iran, Didar News, Cafe Khabar, Rok Sho, Rasaneh Azad, Studio Paat, Ba Zia, Iran Talk, Entekhab Line, Majara Media, Rah o Chah, Radio Haftiha, Shargh Online, Hamshahri TV, and Aan TV. Major outlets like ISNA, ILNA, Fars, Tasnim, and IRNA Plus have also launched audiovisual sections, distributing their programs through both their websites and domestic platforms such as Aparat.

The range of content is vast. Some programs examine political and social crises; others focus on entertainment, lifestyle, or motivational talks. Specialized shows like Synergy, Khate Farzi, Shoot Shot, Film Emruz, and Football 360 address energy, cinema, and sports respectively.

The producers of these programs fall into two broad categories. The first group includes institutional outlets such as Shargh Online, Etemad Online, Entekhab, and Khabar Fori, which have expanded from print journalism into online broadcasting. The second group includes independent creators—well-known figures such as actor Majid Vasheghani (Rok Sho), former TV presenter Ali Zia (Ba Zia), filmmaker Soroush Sehat (Aknun), documentarian Javad Mogouei (Majara Media), and sociologist Mohammad Fazeli (Iran Talk). Others, like Rasaneh Azad, founded by students at Sharif University of Technology, and Studio Paat, produced by young political activists, gained attention without relying on celebrity hosts. New digital networks such as Hamshahri TV, Ketab Network, and Aan TV have also joined the scene, further diversifying Persian-language programming.

While this explosion of creativity has energized Iranian media, competition between state-backed and independent producers remains unequal. Government-affiliated outlets enjoy institutional budgets and political protection. In contrast, independent shows rely on YouTube revenue, sponsorships, or crowdfunding. Programs like Rok Sho and Yazdan Talk Show are produced inside Iran but distributed solely on YouTube, bypassing domestic censorship. Some, like Ba Zia, have secured corporate sponsors, while others—such as Rasaneh Azad—rely directly on viewer support from Iranians inside and outside the country.

Instagram also played a major role in popularizing this culture, allowing live discussions and video interviews to reach mass audiences. Today, many producers continue to use it for promotion and interaction, even as their main programs stream on YouTube, Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), or Eitaa. Although some continue to label their programs as “podcasts,” viewers clearly prefer visual talk formats, where body language and expression enrich the dialogue.

Among the many programs, Rasaneh Azad (“Free Media”) stands out as both a media innovation and a social experiment. Each episode stages a structured debate between two guests with opposing viewpoints, moderated by Mehdi Ahmadi, who also manages the project.

Ahmadi’s path to media was unconventional. A physics graduate of Sharif University of Technology, he later earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Tehran. In 2014, he and several classmates founded the Azad Fekri School (School of Free Thought) to promote dialogue among students. Initially supported by the National Elites Foundation, the group organized seminars and debates on religion, women’s rights, and philosophy, attracting hundreds of participants. When a debate on hijab between scholars Soroush Dabbagh and Sozanji triggered political backlash, the group was forced off campus.

After a one-year hiatus, they relaunched independently in 2019, producing online debates on religion and freedom. By 2022, the project had evolved into Rasaneh Azad, focusing on Iran’s political and intellectual future. Within six months, they produced thirty episodes across two seasons. Their measured, analytical tone set them apart from channels that relied on emotional or sensational themes.

The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement later tested their endurance. Amid nationwide protests, Ahmadi and his team appealed publicly for donations to continue their work. Despite economic hardship and political risk, they maintained regular production—their audience reportedly doubling each season. Today, Rasaneh Azad’s ten-member team, including five content editors and three producers, operates entirely within Iran. Their discussions often include guests from abroad and frank criticism of state policies, leading some to question how such a program continues without censorship.

Ahmadi insists that they operate within the system’s tolerance curve, adjusting tone and language to avoid shutdown while refusing to self-censor ideas. The program has faced temporary suspensions, including a 20-day office closure during the twelve-day Iran–Israel war in June 2025, yet continues to broadcast. He describes the editorial process as collaborative: “Any deletion or edit must be agreed upon by both sides. If a guest requests a section removed, we require written consent. If we make an edit, they must approve it.”

Much like the government’s uneven enforcement of hijab laws, where tolerance fluctuates with social pressure and political timing, authorities now appear to be experimenting with similar flexibility in speech. While censorship and surveillance remain pervasive, there seems to be an unspoken allowance for limited public debate—as long as it remains within manageable bounds.

This subtle opening has allowed both opposition voices and conservative hardliners to share platforms, defend their beliefs, and—perhaps for the first time—listen to one another. It has become a national exercise in civil conversation, where diverse ideologies coexist under the state’s cautious gaze. The government’s strategy remains ambiguous: part tolerance, part experiment. Some analysts see it as a safety valve to release social pressure, while others interpret it as a test of ideological confidence, signaling that the system believes it can contain free dialogue without losing control.

Whatever the motive, the outcome is unmistakable. Iran’s new generation of digital talk shows has created a modern Persian public sphere—fragmented, fragile, yet real. Academics, reformists, clerics, and young activists now share the same stage, reaching millions inside and outside the country. These programs are no longer simply entertainment; they are forums for thought, dissent, and discovery, functioning in a space the state cannot fully command.

With more than a million views on YouTube, Rasaneh Azad exemplifies how independent creators continue to balance state boundaries with intellectual courage, sustaining open exchange in one of the world’s most restricted media environments. In a country long defined by silence or propaganda, Iran’s online talk shows represent something extraordinary—a major change in how Iranians speak, listen, and imagine themselves.