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Iraq was home to the first television station in the Middle East, which began during the 1950s. As part of a plan to help Iraq modernize, British telecommunications company Pye Limited built and commissioned a television broadcast station in the capital city of Baghdad. Following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi state media collapsed. In June 2004, a Communications and Media Commission was set up to approve and grant license for all the country's media.
History
1956-2003
Television first arrived in Iraq on 2 May 1956, at first only in the Baghdad area with a station named Baghdad Television on channel 8, switching to channel 9 in November 1959 after an increasing of its power. On 18 November 1967 the second TV station opened in Kirkuk, on 2 March 1968 a new transmitter had been opened in Mosul and on 6 November 1968 in Basrah. On 30 July 1972 Baghdad Television opened its second TV station on channel 7, and in 1974 two new stations opened in Amarah (capital city of the Maysan Governorate) and Samawah (capital city of the Muthanna Governorate), the latter one opening in March. In July 1976 colour television was introduced using the French SECAM system. By 1976 the entire country could receive broadcasts from the central station in Baghdad after the installation of a microwave relay system.
Baghdad Television was the primary TV station in Iraq while Saddam Hussein was in power. Until the 2003 invasion of Iraq, much of its programming was patriotic music videos, government news and propaganda. It ceased broadcasting during the 2003 invasion when the transmitter network became inoperable due to bombing raids.
A second TV channel was established on 30 July 1972 broadcasting on channel 7 in the Baghdad area.