Marjan Television Network was established by Kayvan Abbassi and Marjan Abbassi.
Manoto's (منوتو) funding comes from venture capitalists, according to a 2011 report on human rights and information access in Iran by the Foreign Policy Centre, a UK-based independent think tank. The report did not name the venture capital firms behind the station. However, many Iranian analysts believe that the channel is promoting Iran's ousted monarchy.
Kayvan and Marjan Abbassi, the UK-based Iranian couple who launched Manoto 1, in 2010, stay out of the media spotlight. They and other Manoto 1 officials have usually declined to comment for their company and TV channel despite repeated requests for interviews.