Television programmes are unrecognisable to what they were back in 1959, when television was first introduced to Malta. In those days, the only programmes that could be watched came from RAI broadcasts from Sicily and of course, they were in black and white.
Three years later, TVM was launched as a Maltese public broadcast service and this remains the most popular channel in the country. Nowadays, with cable and satellite reception, it is possible to access TV channels from all over the world, allowing customers to choose their favourite programmes with ease. Not only is there far more choice, but also the quality of the programmes has improved considerably.
Melita was launched in 1992, offering the first cable service in Malta, and since then the islands have never looked back. The company has brought an exciting new dimension to the Maltese TV scene with its innovation and up-to-the-minute sports, films and TV channels. It introduced digital cable TV in 2005, was the first company to offer high-definition television in Malta in 2010 and in 2017 it launched its NexTV digital set-top box and interactive services. The year after, Melita produced its first TV series, Aenigma – a paranormal drama, as well as launching TSN (Total Sports Network) showing eight HD channels of premium sports.
Now, one is spoilt for choice. Melita offers more than 140 TV channels (over 50 of which are in HD) from local and Italian channels to discovery channels such as BBC Earth, History HD or Nat Geo Wild for the best wildlife network; a lifestyle selection covering fashion, food and games; news programmes including Sky News and CNN; a choice of 12 kids channels including Disney, Nickelodeon and CBeebies and 12 music programmes.
If you are a sports fan, then on TSN you can watch or catch up with what’s going in in the Maltese Premier League, English Premier League or UEFA; Formula 1, tennis, rugby and more. You can even watch two different sports on a split screen, if there are two of your favs on at the same time.
With the demand for video growing daily, film fanatics can browse through Melita’s OnDemand library of over 1,000 films and series. These range from local shows to fascinating Discovery Channel documentaries or up-to-the-minute international blockbusters.
If you’re into binge watching your favourite series, there’s a wide choice to choose from covering popular shows including Game of Thrones and Grand Designs to the Eurovision Song Contest. The film library is divided into eight categories including Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror and Family, so it’s easy to find the film you fancy seeing at any one time. If you can’t decide which film to plump for, then let Melita choose for you. The selection covers anything and everything from golden oldies such as Alien and Ace Ventura to the latest hip films, such as Gloria Bell, Cars3, Rocketman or Spider-Man: Far From Home. You can even watch two of the most talked about new films, which have just been added – Best Film Oscar shortlisters, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Joker! How thrilling is that!
And with Melita’s multiplatform feature, you and friends could even watch one film on four different screens – TV, computer, tablet or smart phone – all at the same time. Or you could start watching a film on your TV and then pick up where you were sometime later on a different device, lazing by the beach or sitting on your terrace, while sipping a cold glass of white wine!
Today with Melita, television has never looked so appealing. Where else can you browse hundreds of channels, watch a myriad of films, listen to music or learn a new skill? And so different from the TV of just a decade ago, you can now pause what you are watching to pop to the loo, make a cup of coffee or even take a break from the programme; rewind the bit you missed or need to see again and record programmes to watch at a later date.
A world away from the few black and white programmes on offer in 1959!
TV Channel Line up
International
Italian
Kids
Knowledge
Local
Music
News
