Nilesat to take Iran’s al-Kawthar off air

by Andy Sennitt.

Egypt’s Nilesat satellite company has decided to take Iran’s Arabic-language al-Kawthar TV channel off air, as the parliamentary elections begin in the North African country. The Egyptian company refused to renew its contract with Al-Kawthar despite the Tehran-based channel’s agreement to raise the contract fee. Al-Kawthar has decided to negotiate with Atlantic Bird satellites, operated by Eutelsat, a French-based satellite provider.

Established in 2006 by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Al-Kawthar mainly broadcasts 19 hours of religious and cultural programming a day. However, Nilesat has decided not to carry al-Kawthar and 19 other television stations as Egyptians go to polls amid a crackdown on opposition parties.