Iran as a very ancient country with more than 7000 years civilization geographically placed in critical area of the world, Middle East. A general look at the media in Iran shows that during the time after the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War (1980–88), advertising industry suffered a decade of decline but by the early 1990s considerable developments had taken place in Iran media industry. A wide range of press media is currently available in Iran but radio and TV are still the most popular medium among Iranian. Also in terms of online media, Iran is one of the few countries in its region where the new form of journalism – online journalism – and new types of online advertising (e-Commerce and s-commerce) have emerged and successfully received serious attention from the government and the society in recent years.
Based on researches more than 84 percent of Iran population is literate and 50 percent of the population is under the age of thirty and that’s why internet penetration increased significantly in a way that last year internet penetration reaches the number of 82% among Iranian. Also Iranian are so eager to participate in online activities, as a simple proof researches shows that Iran has the largest number of blogs in the world after China! Based on these results we can predict, media landscape in Iran is going to be more biased on online advertising and we expect in near future internet based media is going to be as a mass media.
To fully understand Iran’s media landscape, we are going to consider each available media in Iran.
Print Media;
The total number of newspapers currently circulating in Iran, according to Ministry of culture and Islamic guidance is more than 3000 print media outlets which are officially registered. There are numbers of daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly newspapers among these outlets. The number of newspapers in Iran compared to the period before Islamic Revolution and even the first 2 decades after Islamic Revolution, has increased drastically. At the beginning of 1995, there were only 25 daily newspapers but now the number of daily newspapers is more than 150.
Audiovisual Media;
As radio and TV were always the most popular medium between Iranian, after Islamic Revolution in Iran, the number of TV and radio Channels has increased. There are no private or commercial TV and radio stations. All TV channels are completely centralized and managed by the Islamic republic of Iran’s broadcasting organization. There are also more than 100 radio stations officially broadcasting in the country.
According to statistics, Iran with a population about 77 million had more than 20,000,000 internet users. A majority of the Iranian internet users are young people with political, social and cultural activities who predominantly have university education. The majority of Iranian users have access to the internet from their working places, houses or educational centers. In the geographical terms, the Iranian internet audience is predominantly concentrated in the capital (Tehran) and some other central cities of 30 provinces.
The online media in Iran is going to be as a mass media. Despite the difficulties in the internet technologies’ development, growth of online media is progressing rapidly in Iran.
Outdoor media is one of the oldest and the best media in all around the world specially in Iran with 7000 years civilization. About OOH advertising you can’t turn the page or switch it off- it’s just there, the reach and frequency of these media tools are proven and undeniable in advertising industry.
Iran outdoor advertising is in an aggressive growth stage among the other countries of the region, with an ever-expanding list of outdoor advertising markets. Iran is now cover top markets across the region.
In recent years there is a good combination of traditional outdoor media options like Billboard, bridgeboards, 3-Sided rotating display and… with low cost media such as lamp-posts, banners, branded transportation and… which are all located at high traffic areas, we are watching the appearance of Iranian cities much more like western developed countries.
A general look at the media situation in Iran shows that during the recent years specifically after the Islamic Revolution considerable development had taken place in the area of advertising media and ads industry. The improvements during 1997-2005 was incredible. Several steps had taken to strengthen the media quality and independence. One of these steps is emerging and empowering full service agencies such as Maat advertising and communication agency. These agencies with the best thorough perception of Media landscape in Iran are able to provide best consultation and long term program for any brands looking for the best brand image and brand position in Iran.
In Maat advertising agency we’re adding more extra and brand new locations to advertise in virtual and real world every day. While our reach is expanding, we always increase our local market knowledge and expertise, so no matter where your target audience is or what it wants, we’re ready to serve you with the savvy you need to structure your next campaign.
