"Well, we have no choice because there's no satellite TV in Tehran," Lily told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview. A non-religious bank teller who does not fast, Lily usually keeps to the ritual of following Turkish Ramadan specials via satellite each year.

Ramadan specials from Turkey have a huge following in Iran, mostly among Azerbaijani Turks living in various parts of the country. Because the Turkish spoken in Iran is not too distant from the Turkish spoken in Turkey, Iranian Turks generally understand a fair amount of the television content, and by watching it, gradually become familiar with its nuances. This year, however, most of Tehran's population cannot tune in to satellite TV because the administration is disrupting signals. Thus a big part of the Ramadan audience has been left to spend its evenings watching Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) productions. In most of Tehran's suburbs, however, satellite TV channels can still be easily accessed.

Following the trend in Sunni-majority countries of celebrating Ramadan in part through TV programs, such as soap operas, game shows and variety programming featuring music and dance, Iranian state TV began airing entertainment tailor-made for Ramadan in 1999 and has evolved its programming annually in an effort to create a livelier Ramadan atmosphere and attract more viewers.

At Iftar — sunset, when the Ramadan fast is broken — variety shows, including game shows with big prizes, such as cars and home appliances donated by manufacturers, hit the airwaves. A little later, multiple soap operas and sitcoms fill the broadcast line-up on several TV channels, aired back-to-back to keep viewers glued to their sets into the late hours of the night. There are also a few variety shows usually aired live a little before sunrise, when fasters get up to eat and pray and start their daily fasting routines. Programming ends a few minutes before the morning call to prayer.