The 54-year-old Egyptian Radio and Television Union decided to ally with the almost 25-year-old Saudi MBC Channels, raising controversy between supporters and opponents to the move.
Both entities have signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation.
Supporters of the move believe that Maspero is suffering from a real financial crisis and needs to ally with the Saudi channels, while opponents expressed fear it will lead to exploiting the Egyptian TV library or selling its heritage.
Head of the Radio and Television Union Essam al-Amir refused to comment on claims which say the agreement touches on Egypt's national security. Amir stressed he did what he believed was in favor of the 54-year old Egyptian entity.
Opponents to the decison were mainly owners of private channels.
Some media experts believed that Information Minister Doria Sharaf Eddin has to hold a press conference to explain the details of the matter.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
