Press TV is an Iranian state-owned news network that broadcasts in the English and French languages owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the only organization legally able to transmit radio and TV broadcasts in Iran. The 24-hour channel, which has headquarters in Tehran, was launched on 8 July 2007 and was intended to compete with western English language services.

Al Jazeera English is a 24-hour English-language news channel. It operates under the ownership of the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded in part by the government of Qatar. In a bid to broaden its reach, Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is the first global English-language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East.