After repeated delays over the lack of funds, Egypt recently announced the November 2022 launch of its own international news channel amid reports of an Egyptian-Saudi partnership to cooperate in the media and drama sectors.
On July 7, Egypt's United Media Services announced the upcoming launch of an international news channel and a regional news channel focusing on Arab affairs in conjunction with the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27), which Egypt will host in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.
United Media Services is an intelligence-owned production company that owns several local newspapers and channels, including Al-Hayat. Reuters reported back in 2019 that the company is affiliated with the Egyptian state and that members of its board were previously linked to the country’s General Intelligence Service.
The announcement raised questions on the channels’ funding sources, particularly since the government failed to launch it earlier due to a funding crisis. In May, Mada Masr newspaper quoted a source at United Media Services as saying that the project to launch an international and regional news channel was suspended due to funding reasons.
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