HONG KONG -- China's state television broadcasts were interrupted for nearly 15 minutes by a video about the banned Falun Gong spiritual group, a spokesman for a Hong Kong-based satellite company said Tuesday.

Falun Gong, which China has labeled an "evil cult," denied tampering with nationwide programming.

The interference occurred on signals from the APSTAR 6 satellite on Sunday evening, affecting 25 channels, said Brian Lo, spokesman for Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Holdings, which operates the satellite.

A Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for Falun Gong, which mixes slow exercise and Buddhist and Taoist teachings, denied the group was behind the satellite jamming. "I don't think it's something ... we can do because we're just ordinary volunteers," Sophie Xiao said. She called the allegations as a smear campaign against the spiritual group.