National Media Authority (NMA)

The National Media Authority (NMA), known in Egypt as Maspero after the Cairo riverside building that houses the country’s state broadcasting complex, is the body that operates Egypt’s state-run television, radio and digital broadcasting networks. It succeeded the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU), the former state broadcasting body whose legal framework was established by Law No. 13 of 1979 and whose broadcast services trace back to Egyptian television’s launch in 1960 and Egyptian radio’s beginnings in 1934.

In the first half of 2025, Chairman Ahmed al‑Moslemany unveiled the “Maspero Platform”, an integrated digital media portal designed to centralise state radio, television, and on-demand services—stepping into Egypt’s competitive digital content space.

Media assets

Television and digital: Channel 1; Channel 2; Channel Egypt / Al-Masriya; regional channels grouped under the Al-Mahrousa network, including Cairo Channel, Canal Channel, Alexandria Channel, Delta Channel, Upper Egypt Channel and Thebes Channel; Nile TV International; Nile News; Nile Sport; Nile Culture; Nile Drama; Nile Cinema; Nile Family; Nile Life; Nile Comedy and other Nile specialist services, with current channel branding and operational status subject to restructuring.

Radio: General Programme; Voice of the Arabs; Middle East Radio; European Programme Radio; Cultural Radio; Youth and Sports Radio; Radio Greater Cairo; Songs Radio; News and Music Radio; Radio Masr; Al-Qur’an al-Karim Radio; Educational Radio; Voice of Palestine; regional services including North Upper Egypt Radio, Nile Valley Radio, Middle Delta Radio and Radio Alexandria; and international services under Radio Cairo / Radio Cairo World Service.

Infrastructure and affiliated companies: major or controlling stakes in Egyptian Media Production City, Nilesat, Cable Network Egypt and other media-technology or distribution companies; Sawt al-Qahira / Sono Cairo production and advertising company.

Ownership and governance

The NMA was created in principle by Egypt’s 2014 Constitution, which provided for a new set of media bodies to manage and regulate state-owned media. It was given an initial legal basis in 2016, formed as a functioning body alongside Egypt’s two other media authorities in 2017, and placed on its current statutory footing by Law No. 178 of 2018. Beyond the television and radio networks previously run by ERTU, the NMA holds important interests in media infrastructure companies, including a major stake in Egyptian Media Production City and a controlling stake in the satellite operator Nilesat.

The NMA’s governance framework is set out in Law No. 178 of 2018, published in the Official Gazette on 27 August 2018. As a public administrative body responsible for state broadcasting, it operates under a structure that places it under strong executive control.

The NMA’s board consists of nine members. The President of the Republic directly chooses three members, including the chairman. Other seats are filled through nominations or representation involving state and professional bodies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Council of State, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the Media Syndicate, the General Syndicate for Press, Printing and Advertising Employees and the House of Representatives, with the President ultimately confirming appointments. This structure provides a formal appearance of multi-institutional participation while leaving the executive with decisive influence over the Authority’s formation and leadership.

Ahmed al-Moslemany, also rendered Ahmed El-Moslemany, has headed the NMA since November 2024, when a presidential decree reshaping Egypt’s media governance installed him in place of Hussein Zein. Al-Moslemany is an Egyptian journalist, political analyst and television presenter known for his close ties to state institutions, and previously served as a presidential media adviser. He remained in post as of mid-2026, leading the restructuring drive described above.

The NMA is one of three constitutional media bodies that together structure state control over the sector: the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), established under Article 211 of the Constitution and Law No. 180 of 2018; the National Press Authority (NPA), established under Article 212 and Law No. 179 of 2018 to manage state-owned newspapers; and the NMA itself, established under Article 213 and Law No. 178 of 2018 to manage state broadcasting. Since February 2026, coordination among these media bodies has also been routed through the restored Minister of State for Information post, held by Diaa Rashwan.

Source of funding and budget

The NMA is heavily reliant on public subsidies, with the state treasury contributing the largest share of its financing. According to the 2022/2023 Egyptian national budget, the Authority received a total allocation of EGP 24.9bn, approximately US$805m at the time, of which EGP 18.4bn, approximately US$595m, came directly from state coffers. In addition to direct budgetary support, the NMA collects income from the car-radio tax, a legacy levy imposed on vehicles equipped with radio receivers.

According to Egyptian media experts consulted by SMM in May 2024, state funding consistently accounts for more than 75% of the NMA’s annual financial intake, underlining its deep dependency on government support. The restructuring under way since late 2025 is explicitly aimed at reducing that dependency, improving the Authority’s economic efficiency, monetising archives and resolving accumulated debts. However, direct state financing remained dominant as of mid-2026.

The NMA has also inherited large historical debts from its predecessor, the ERTU, including liabilities to the National Investment Bank. In September 2025, the prime minister followed up on procedures to resolve financial entanglements between the NMA and the National Investment Bank. In 2026, NMA leadership publicly discussed a comprehensive settlement of accumulated debts, including liabilities connected to Nilesat and Egyptian Media Production City.

In late 2025 and the first half of 2026, the government launched a wide-ranging restructuring of the NMA framed around financial sustainability and digital modernisation. Chairman Ahmed al-Moslemany has overseen plans for a dedicated digital platform built on Maspero’s archive, the contracting of a specialised firm to manage the Authority’s social-media presence, the merger and upgrading of several television channels, and reform of the Sawt al-Qahira / Sono Cairo production and advertising company. Earlier, the NMA also announced a Maspero-branded drama and podcast platform intended to revive state-backed drama, film, documentary and podcast production. In parallel, the government pursued a settlement of the NMA’s long-standing financial entanglements, including debts linked to the National Investment Bank. As of mid-2026, these measures were in progress rather than complete.

Editorial independence

Since its inception, the NMA, like its predecessor ERTU, has operated under firm government editorial control. Legislative changes introduced in recent years have further tightened state oversight, granting authorities broad powers to regulate, manage and censor media content. These reforms, widely criticised by domestic and international observers, have facilitated a broader consolidation of media control in the hands of the executive.

To date, no domestic law guarantees the editorial independence of the NMA or the outlets under its remit. Internal editorial processes are widely believed to be closely supervised to ensure alignment with the government’s political and ideological narrative. Journalists and media experts interviewed for SMM reporting in 2024 and again in March 2025 consistently pointed to escalating self-censorship and content-filtering practices across NMA platforms.

The 2025/26 restructuring has been presented by officials as financial, technical and digital modernisation; it does not introduce any statutory safeguard for editorial independence. The Authority’s content continues to be characterised by observers as closely aligned with the state. There is no independent oversight body that monitors or evaluates the Authority’s editorial practices, nor are there transparency mechanisms through which the public can scrutinise its editorial output or strategic decisions.

AI and digital policy

SMM found no evidence that the NMA has published a dedicated public AI governance or editorial-use policy as of mid-2026.

The Authority has nevertheless pursued substantial digital restructuring. In December 2025, NMA Chairman Ahmed al-Moslemany presented a plan to develop a dedicated digital platform to monetise Maspero’s historical archive, hire a specialised firm to manage the Authority’s digital and social-media presence, merge underperforming channels, upgrade others and reform Sawt al-Qahira / Sono Cairo. Earlier in 2025, the NMA also announced a Maspero-branded drama and podcast project, including Maspero Podcast and Maspero Africa Podcast, as part of a wider effort to revive state-backed production and repurpose the Authority’s audiovisual archive.

These developments show investment in digital distribution, archive monetisation, social-media management and platform expansion. However, SMM identified no NMA-specific public framework governing the use of AI in editorial production, verification, attribution, recommendation systems, audience analytics, synthetic-media labelling, content disclosure, bias mitigation or human editorial oversight.

Classification rationale

The NMA is classified as State-Controlled (SC), a classification maintained from prior SMM cycles. It is Egypt’s state broadcasting authority, operating as a public administrative body under a legal framework in which the President appoints the chairman and exercises decisive influence over board formation. Its funding comes predominantly from the state, its leadership is installed by executive decision, and its editorial output is closely aligned with government priorities. No independent statutory or oversight mechanism safeguards the editorial autonomy of its television, radio or digital services. The 2025/26 restructuring drive modernised the NMA’s finances, platforms and infrastructure, but did not alter these determinants of control. The NMA therefore remains firmly in the SC category.

June 2026