Iran launches Islamic YouTube rival 'Mehr'

Mehr, which means affection or kindness in Farsi, is run by state broadcaster IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting).

YouTube has been banned in Iran since 2009, but many Iranians still access the Google-owned website by bypassing internet filters.

Iran already has a popular video website, Aparat, run by the company behind Farsi-language social network Cloob, but Mehr is the first state-backed incursion into YouTube territory in the country.

"From now on, people can upload their short films on the website and access (IRIB) produced material," said IRIB deputy chief Lotfollah Siahkali yesterday.

Poor download speeds have affected the new service, and as of this afternoon Mehr was not functioning despite users' repeated attempts to access it.

source