Big Brother coming to Malta as PBS 'finalises' winter schedule

With some minor exceptions, most of TVM's proposed winter schedule has been finalised by the board of directors, PBS chairman Joe Fenech Conti said yesterday.

Among the selected programmes are Dejjem Tieghek Becky and Big Brother, their producers said yesterday.

However, another leading show in terms of audience share, Tista Tkun Int, will be not be aired by PBS, its producer confirmed.

Mr Fenech Conti said: "When the schedule is complete, it will be presented to the editorial board, the Broadcasting Authority and the relevant ministries for information and vetting. All the producers who have not been selected will be notified, he added.

"Producers whose programmes have been selected for inclusion in the winter 2007 schedule by the board of directors are being notified and asked to sign a preliminary agreement.

"As is the usual practice for PBS, the final schedule will be announced to the public a suitable period before the start of the Winter season. We will not be drawn into making any revelations before," he said.

Three months ago, the editorial board and the board of directors of PBS had clashed seriously after the latter effectively ignored the former's shortlist of winter programmes.

One of Where's Everybody partners Lou Bondi said they had various proposals which were still being discussed but nothing has been concluded yet. "I think it would be commercially unwise for all parties concerned to divulge any details at this stage," he said.

Eileen Montesin said that her programme Dejjem Tieghek Becky is set to continue and she was involved in talks on another programme. Producer and presenter of Tista Tkun Int, Rachel Vella, said: "By the end of the week I have to decide where I will go. I have offers from other TV stations."

Allied Newspapers has submitted proposals for two programmes and journalists from Malta Today are understood to have made three proposals.

Watermelon director Pierre Portelli said PBS would be hosting the first Big Brother show ever to be produced in Malta.

Big Brother is a worldwide phenomenon produced by Endemol International in more than 40 countries. Malta will be the latest and smallest state in which the show will be produced.

"We've signed an optional agreement with Endemol International to produce the show in Malta in the coming years, and we've also signed a preliminary agreement with TVM to air it," Mr Portelli said.

Asked if this was the result of the legal wrangle between Endemol and Watermelon regarding the production of a similar show earlier this year, L-Ispjun, Mr Portelli said: "Let's just say that it brought us close and gave us the opportunity to discuss the possibility of producing Big Brother Malta. Once it happens, I can assure you that it will be the biggest TV show we've experienced so far on local TV. The fact that we will be doing it with Europe's top producers, Endemol, will give us an edge over past programmes."

L-Ispjun, the reality programme produced by Watermelon over the past two years, was an instant success with viewers. "Reality-drama is a genre which the Maltese loved at first sight," Mr Portelli said. "It follows the pattern of local drama which is also very popular."

"With Big Brother Malta it will be a different production altogether," he added.

Mr Portelli confirmed that in order to obtain the license Watermelon had to make sure that international TV standards would be reached.

"We are currently on the look-out for a venue where to build the House for the participants of Big Brother Malta. It will be a set in the form of a house and not a rented villa. The equipment needed for this show is equal to that needed for a private TV station. We are also looking for producers, TV directors, camera people and production assistants since we will need a team of over 50 people to produce the show. The investment is very big but we are hoping that the superior quality will give us the return we need."

Asked to confirm if PBS really doubled the price it charges for airtime, Mr Portelli said:

"I will not go into detail about figures. But yes we were asked to pay more than double what we paid last year. At first I thought that they where doing this to us only due to the Big Brother brand we were offering but upon reading what happened with Tista Tkun Int I was shocked to discover that they had really done it with everyone.

"In our case we negotiated the best possible price which is still very high by Malta's standards. I think it was crazy to lose such a popular show like Tista Tkun Int which brought so many viewers to TVM," Mr Portelli said.