The Egyptian satellite company Nilesat closed 10 'sectarian' TV stations in 2013 after complaints against their content, Nilesat head Tharwat Mekky said on Sunday.
Five of the channels, Al-Yarmouk, Al-Quds, Al-Hafez and Al-Nas and Ahrar 25, are considered Islamist, while Egypt 25 was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ahram Online could not determine which other four channels have been blocked by Nilesat.
Egypt also closed offices of Qatar's Al Jazeera television channel in Cairo in early July. Security forces raided the offices hours after Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was toppled.
Mekky told Saudi paper Al-Watan that the wrangle with the Qatari broadcaster was over its Egyptian affiliate, Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr. He said channel did not abide by licensing terms and conditions banning incitement of violence and hatred as well as content deemed offensive to religion.
The channel, now broadcast from Qatar, can still be seen on Nilesat. Mekky did not indicate that the channel would be blocked. Other Al-Jazeera stations, including sports and documentary channels, also still appear on Nilesat, Mekky noted.
The Egyptian arm of the Qatari-owned media company began transmission following the 2011 uprising. Authorities and local media accused it of bias against Morsi's ouster and pro-Morsi demonstrations.
The Qatari network has given wide coverage, deemed inflammatory by many Egyptions, to demonstrations that followed Morsi’s removal and the crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
In September an Egyptian court ordered Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr, along with include Al-Yarmouk, Al-Quds and Ahrar 25, taken off the airwaves on grounds of national security. Egypt's interim authorities also shut down the offices of Brotherhood's Egypt 25, and the Salafist Al-Hafez and Al-Nas.
