Media Mogul or Regime's Mouthpiece? Tarek Nour’s Media Takeover

After reports of a corruption crisis within the United Media Services Company, which is controlled by Egypt's intelligence services and dominates the country’s media landscape, the well-known former advertising figure for the now-dissolved National Party of former president Hosni Mubarak, Tarek Nour, was appointed as its chairman.

It was a paradox that Nour, who had been publicly criticized by the company’s broadcasters and accused of land-grabbing, would now be chosen to lead the very company that had vilified him. This move also raised eyebrows given his prominent role in the late-stage propaganda efforts of Mubarak’s regime before the 2011 revolution.

The changes were met with widespread derision from Egyptian media experts and politicians, who mocked the appointment of an entertainment advertising mogul to head such a vast media empire, arguing that the leadership should have been entrusted to individuals with a genuine commitment to the media’s mission.

Others dismissed the changes as purely profit-driven, with no regard for content or editorial integrity. 

They argued that the choice of an advertising executive as CEO was primarily aimed at boosting the company’s profits, recovering previous losses, and revamping the state’s media strategy to better serve the narrative of the head of the regime Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Losses and Embezzlement

In the first week of December 2024, widespread discussions circulated among journalists at Egypt’s Media Production City regarding crises within the United Media Services Company, which is tasked with consolidating Egypt’s media landscape under the directives of the security and intelligence agencies to serve el-Sisi’s regime.

Talk of the company’s mounting losses, lavish spending, and embezzlement of funds by some of its officials gained momentum. 

Concerns also grew over declining viewership of its television channels and a shrinking circulation of its newspapers.

Reports emerged suggesting that the company, which holds a monopoly over Egyptian media and drama, had suffered losses amounting to 20 billion Egyptian pounds in 2024 alone.

Previously, in 2021, when the company presented a report boasting of its "achievements," it was revealed that the net result of its operations over four years since the intelligence services took control of the drama sector amounted to a mere 400 million pounds in profit and loss combined.

Official figures showed the intelligence-controlled company sustained losses during the years 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, with profits only seen during the Ramadan television season of 2021, when it made 260 million pounds. 

This was in stark contrast to losses incurred during Ramadan 2017, which amounted to 470 million pounds.

On December 5, 2024, rumours emerged, the veracity of which remains unconfirmed, suggesting that Ahmed el-Taheri, head of news channels at the United Media Services Company, had embezzled approximately 17 billion Egyptian pounds in collaboration with two other officials. 

The company has remained tight-lipped, neither confirming nor denying the allegations.

Amidst these crises, speculation grew about sweeping changes aimed at appointing executives capable of generating revenue for the company, which has suffered heavy losses. 

These setbacks were largely attributed to the company’s reliance on politically and security-driven directives, rather than independent journalism, which has contributed to declining viewership and a drop in newspaper circulation.

The restructuring was officially announced on December 10, 2024, with the appointment of advertising mogul Tarek Nour as chairman of the United Media Services board.

This move is part of a broader alliance involving Nour’s advertising empire, Tarek Nour Holding, and the privately-owned al-Mehwar TV channel, which was seized by the Sisi regime from businessman Hassan Rateb, who was subsequently imprisoned on charges of antiquities smuggling but was later released.

The United Media Company stated that the changes were part of a “future strategy to develop the media system in a way that benefits the broader media industry.”

The new board of directors at United Media Services includes the appointment of Tarek Makhlouf as Managing Director, and members including Saif el-Waziri, Mohamed el-Saadi, Tamer Morsi, Ahmed Tarek, Amr el-Feki, Sherif el-Khouly, and Amr el-Khayat.

In 2021, following substantial losses, United Media Services turned to businessmen and investors to take the helm, after a period of tension between then-chairman Tamer Morsi and Mohamed el-Saadi, founder of Media Hub Advertising.

The decision to bring in Tarek Nour, the head of one of the most successful advertising and media empires in Egypt, came two months after reports of expected leadership changes in Egypt’s official and semi-official media sector. 

These shifts were part of financial and organizational reviews aimed at restructuring the company, which is owned by Egypt’s intelligence services.

As part of these changes, on November 25, 2024, the head of the regime Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issued three decrees appointing new boards for the Supreme Media Council, the National Media Authority, and the National Press Authority.

The decrees also included sweeping changes at the leadership level, with new appointments to these boards. 

There was widespread speculation that the move was designed to present an image of change within the regime, appointing new faces. 

However, journalists have argued that the changes are largely symbolic and meaningless, as the government continues to suppress freedom of expression.

United Media Services is an Egyptian company specializing in media services, advertising, and publicity, founded in 2016 following the merger of two companies: Egyptian Media Group and "D-Media Group"

It was created by the Sisi regime as a replacement for the official media system that has been in place since the July 1952 revolution. 

The company now encompasses 46 subsidiaries, 17 television channels, 12 digital news platforms, 6 radio stations, and a digital entertainment platform.

Most of these outlets were seized from their original owners—business figures such as Naguib Sawiris, Ahmed Bahgat, El-Sayyid el-Badawi, Hassan Rateb, Mohamed el-Amin, and others—in exchange for avoiding prosecution on various charges, in what many see as a form of extortion.

Profit or Politics?

The appointment of Tarek Nour as chairman of United Media Services has raised questions about his role and the company’s new direction. Is the aim simply to “generate revenue” by appointing a successful advertising figure and stem the company’s losses?

Or is there a more political dimension to the change—a plan to polish the image of the Sisi regime with more professional and sophisticated media techniques? This would mark a shift from the current, crude "marketing" of the regime’s supposed “achievements” in a naïve and simplistic manner, as seen in state-run media today, to a more polished, professional approach under Nour's leadership.

The goal, it seems, is to convince an increasingly disillusioned public of the regime’s legitimacy and the correctness of its path, at a particularly sensitive time. This comes after the Syrian revolution’s success and growing demands for change within Egypt, alongside calls from opposition figures for peaceful reform rather than a Syrian-style uprising.

The appointment of Tarek Nour as head of United Media Services has sparked a heated debate among Egyptian journalists and media professionals, with opinions sharply divided over the motivations and objectives behind the decision. 

One faction has criticized the appointment of an advertising mogul, specializing in entertainment, to lead Egypt’s media empire, arguing that it reflects a troubling shift away from those with a true commitment to journalism’s core mission.

Media experts have described the changes as purely profit-driven, aimed solely at bolstering United Media’s financial standing, rather than improving its content or fostering the kind of media freedom seen under the Mubarak regime—freedom that Sisi himself has criticized since the 2013 coup.

Hassan Emad Makkawi, former Dean of Cairo University’s Faculty of Media, told al-Masry al-Youm that Nour’s appointment could be seen as a commercial strategy designed to help United Media Services recover financially, given Nour’s extensive experience in advertising and marketing. However, he cautioned, “This appointment does not necessarily imply a move towards media independence.”

This sentiment was echoed by Abdel Naser Salama, former editor-in-chief of al-Ahram, who expressed his skepticism about Nour’s appointment, calling him the “emperor of advertising” and noting that “the new head of United Media Services seems more focused on financial gain than on media reform.”

Journalist Qutb al-Arabi argued that the appointment of Tarek Nour, Egypt’s most prominent advertising tycoon, as head of United Media Services was a move aimed at “rescuing the company from failure and losses and steering it towards profitability.”

According to Al-Estiklal, in a Facebook post, the journalist pointed out that Nour is an advertising expert, not a media professional, and that his focus will be on “revitalizing the channels to attract viewers, thereby increasing advertising revenues that could offset the company’s financial losses.”

The journalist contended that what United Media Services offers cannot be considered true journalism. 

He warned that Egypt’s ongoing media crisis would persist, with public disengagement from state-run platforms likely to increase. 

"Freedom is the only path to a successful media landscape," the journalist concluded.

Journalist Islam Lotfy also criticized the shift in United Media’s role, noting that the company, originally created as an instrument of internal guidance and external state influence, had now been reduced to a purely commercial, entertainment-driven entity with an emphasis on advertising.

The other group of Egyptian journalists and politicians who view the changes at United Media Services as yet another attempt to promote and market the Sisi regime attributed the move to the mounting issues the government faces and the media campaigns calling for peaceful reforms – before the regime suffers a fate similar to Bashar al-Assad’s in Syria.

This group criticized the idea of an “media reform” in Egypt by appointing someone without expertise in journalism, and bringing in a figure from the advertising industry rather than entrusting the task to media professionals.

Anwar el-Hawary, former editor-in-chief of al-Masry al-Youm and al-Wafd newspapers, argued on Facebook that state media reform through professionalism, competence, and freedom “would have been the easiest solution.”

Instead, he contended, the creation of a parallel media empire – United Media Services – would ultimately fail, especially with its management being handed over to an advertising mogul whose expertise and culture are far removed from the principles of journalism.

Veteran journalist Hafez al-Mirazi also questioned the state’s intentions, saying, “Is the government appointing Tarek Nour as head of United Media Services simply to recover its previous losses? Or is it an attempt to rid itself of some media figures who had previously criticized him – particularly now that he has become chairman of the board?”

Another group of journalists and politicians viewed the changes at United Media Services, and the appointment of Tarek Nour, as a renewed effort to market and promote the Sisi regime amid the mounting challenges it faces.

These critics pointed to the media campaigns urging the government to implement peaceful reforms before it faces a fate similar to that of Bashar al-Assad in Syria – with change eventually coming through force.

Minister of Propaganda 

According to Al-Estiklal, Tarek Nour is often described as a "man for all seasons," or more fittingly, "the minister of propaganda for all ages." 

He oversaw the media campaigns for former president Hosni Mubarak and his National Democratic Party during the 2005 elections.

He was also in charge of Ahmed Shafik’s 2012 presidential campaign, which ended in defeat to the late Mohammed Morsi, despite Shafik's team spending nearly $20 million — double the legal limit for election spending at the time.

In 2014, Nour became the director of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s media campaign during his presidential bid, claiming at the time that the campaign had already spent 12 million Egyptian pounds on advertising, according to al-Masry al-Youm on May 12, 2014. 

However, the total campaign expenditure and the sources of this funding remain unclear.

This led to mockery among Egyptians, who used the saying "the foreigner only comes when he’s bankrupt" to criticize the Sisi regime's reliance on figures from Mubarak's old guard.

Nour’s appointment as the general coordinator and senior media advisor for Sisi’s 2014 presidential campaign raised further questions about his close ties to the remnants of Mubarak’s party. 

Journalists have speculated that Nour’s role in promoting the interests of the National Democratic Party and its supporters provides a clear explanation for his appointment as the head of United Media Services.

Known as the "minister of propaganda" for Mubarak’s party, Nour was a close friend of both the former president and his son, Gamal, and was responsible for running Mubarak’s electoral campaign.

He has been given several titles, including "King of Advertising," "Emperor of Advertising," "Minister of Propaganda," and "Media Advisor to the National Democratic Party."

He has also been described as the "Minister of the Shadow Government"—a parallel role to that of the Minister of Information—after his advertising agency took responsibility for much of the content broadcast by Egypt's various TV channels, particularly during Ramadan. 

In this capacity, he plays a key political and promotional role in advancing government policies.

Nour is the original owner of the Cairo and the People TV channels, along with several other satellite channels. 

He was the primary financier of the satirical program Bassem Youssef, which relentlessly mocked the late President Mohammed Morsi. 

It is also widely believed that Nour was a key sponsor of the Tamarod movement, providing significant media support, including the production of banners and posters.

Nour’s extensive connections in the advertising industry became deeply intertwined with Egypt’s political landscape after he joined the Policy Committee of the now-defunct National Democratic Party. 

In this role, he oversaw several of the party's key media campaigns.

These relationships not only helped expand his influence but also facilitated his near-monopoly over the advertising market. 

Nour’s expertise in American-style political marketing brought a new dimension to Egyptian politics, as he introduced the concept of “political branding”—where politicians and ministers themselves are marketed as products, with the goal of persuading the public to buy into their image.

Nour studied American-style advertising in the United States during the early 1970s, and his approach has since been evident in his flashy, eye-catching campaigns, often featuring beautiful women and a focus on allure and excitement.

This style of advertising has a political dimension in the West, where "political marketing" is employed to exaggerate the achievements of party leaders or political figures, portraying them as the "dream" for voters, especially during elections. 

The goal is to convince the public that the actions of politicians are inherently correct, encouraging them to wait for the good things that are promised to come. 

This is the strategy many expect Nour to implement as he assumes control over the state media empire in Egypt.

After President Mohammed Morsi's victory, Nour invested millions to make Cairo and the People a daily staple, launching Cairo and the People 2 alongside it. 

Both channels, along with others, quickly shifted gears to become outspoken critics of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, a position they continue to hold to this day.

In a previous interview, Nour shared his views on the relationship between the state and the media in Egypt, noting a profound lack of trust between the two sides. 

"The core issue," he told al-Masry al-Youm on December 10, 2024, "is the lack of information and the government's fear of the public's right to know." 

He argued that the state needs to involve media professionals in decision-making processes before tough choices are made. 

However, he dismissed the notion of state media hegemony, suggesting instead that private channels had sought financial support from state-owned entities like United Media Services to survive.

He stated that the primary cause of this issue was the lack of information and the government's fear of the public's right to know. 

Nour emphasized that the state needed to involve media professionals in important matters before making tough decisions.

He also stressed that the relationship between the state and the media is not always a confrontation, but rather a matter of mutual understanding. 

According to Nour, it is in the state's best interest to support the media and provide the necessary resources, particularly given the rapid evolution of media content in the digital age.

However, Nour rejected the notion of "state domination over the media," claiming it does not accurately reflect reality. 

Nour claimed that some private channels had sought financial assistance from the state-owned United Media Services to help them stay afloat, asserting that such support does not necessarily imply dominance or control.

According to Al-Estiklal, in 2018, United Media's newspapers launched a campaign against Nour, titled "Land Corruption Files," following two rulings by the Supreme Administrative Court. 

In the first ruling, the court ordered the return of 405 acres of land to the state, which had been illegally seized by Desert Links Company, represented by Nour, according to Youm7 newspaper.

In the second ruling, another 400 acres were returned. 

Nour had surrendered 271 acres to other businessmen, a move the court described at the time as a "surrender by someone who does not own and in something they do not own, and a surrender without compensation, which is a clear indication of legal manipulation by those who never owned the land in the first place."

Journalist Mohamed el-Baz previously called on Nour to disclose the true extent of his wealth to the public, following the administrative court's ruling to recover the 805 acres.

In April 2015, the current executive editor of Youm7, Dandarawi el Hawary, launched a scathing attack on Nour, writing a piece entitled "Tarek Nour: The Emperor of Dance Media and the Insult to the Companions." 

"Let’s agree on one thing: the trifecta that drives the promotion and fame of any media outlet—whether print, visual, or audio—is religion, sex, and crime," el Hawary argued.

In 2019, the campaign against Tarek Nour intensified. Youm7 published a report titled "Gamblers Have No Shame... Tarek Nour Trades Egypt's Reputation to Push Through a Program That Undermines Egyptian Families." However, this report was later removed from the site.

Similarly, al-Watan, also owned by United Media, deleted an article entitled "The Administrative Court's Ruling Exposes Tarek Nour’s Seizure of 805 Acres of State-Owned Land."