The BBC’s Persian Television Service and Ariana News, Afghanistan’s leading TV channels, have launched a content partnership.

Ariana News, a division of the Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN), will now broadcast Shast Daqiqa (60 Minutes), the BBC Persian’s flagship news and analysis program Saturday to Wednesday. In addition, ATN will air additional BBC programmes, including current affairs program Safheh Do (Page Two Weekend), interview programme Ba-ebarat-e-Digar (HARDtalk), current affairs programme Pargar (Compass), and Click, the guide to digital technology.

BBC Persian has a global weekly audience of 21m on TV, radio, website and social media. It currently reaches around 8.5m people in Afghanistan every week.

BBC Persian reaches 12.1 m people in Afghanistan every week, 59% of the adult population, with content from BBC News Afghanistan in Dari and Pashto, BBC News Persian, BBC News Uzbek and the BBC English-language news content on TV, radio and digital.

Simon Kendall, the BBC World Service Director of Business Development, said: “We are delighted that through this new partnership with Ariana News a suite of BBC News Persian programs will be available to audiences in Afghanistan. We are excited to be increasing BBC presence on TV in the region and we hope that audiences will enjoy our programs alongside our digital and audio offer. We look forward to working with Ariana as we establish this important new agreement.”

Ali Kasemi, ATN Group’s Managing Director, stated that the collaboration between the two TV channels is an opportunity for Ariana News “to bring the world to Afghan viewers.”

“ATN was founded in 2005 with a mission to provide our viewers with a ‘Window to the World’ so that all Afghans could watch, share, and enjoy the best global news, entertainment, sports and information from around the world,” Kasemi said. “We are very proud to be adding BBC News Persian’s award-winning programming to our content package, and we see this partnership as an exciting continuation of our commitment to bring the world to Afghan viewers and families around the nation.”

Shast Daqiqa will air at 23.00 Kabul Time Saturday to Wednesday; Pargar – 12.00 on Sundays; Ba-ebarat-e-Digar – 20.30 on Tuesdays; Safheh Do – 23.00 on Thursdays; Click – 21.30 on Fridays.

BBC Persian TV is broadcast via satellite (Hotbird, YahSat and Telstar 12), and is streamed live online via BBC Persian’s official website and YouTube channel.

BBC Persian also reaches its audience via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram. BBC Persian radio broadcasts are visualized, enabling audiences to also watch radio programs on TV and digital platforms.