The number of Maltese viewers watching digital television has risen from 1.6 per cent in December 2006 to 50 per cent by March this year, Education Minister Dolores Cristina said on Tuesday.
Introducing the second reading of the Broadcasting Act (Amendment) Bill, Mrs Cristina said that the Bill amended the Broadcasting Act to transpose into Maltese law the provisions of a European Parliament and European Council directive. This focused the coordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in EU-member states concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities.
The minister said one of the main challenges facing the media industry was the transition from analogue to digital transmission by December 2010. Malta would be the first to start digital broadcasting among all EU member states and it was ensuring that without any extra payment consumers should be able to enjoy more television stations. Six Maltese stations would broadcast under the General Interest Objective on the PBS platform.
Minister Cristina dwelt on the broadcasting reform in Malta and said that it had strengthened news editorial independence with an autonomous editorial board.
PBS remained the most popular station. The broadcasting ethos could be seen through the percentage of public service and extended public service obligations on the national station. This was further strengthened through the quality of its programmes.
The national broadcasting policy review should address not only television, but also radio, company finances and the public service to be given with PBS extending its service in the new media. Independent producers were crucial in the outsourcing process. The government was ready to help in strengthening this sector and give training opportunities.
She announced that her ministry was in contact with the Broadcasting Authority and the Commissioner for Children's Rights to get professionals to train producers for children's programmes. Independent producers would do well to join forces with European independent producers. As yet no one had grasped these opportunities through EU funds.
Media education would be given due importance in the national curriculum review to ensure that it reached all students. Media literacy would include teacher training. The characteristics of media broadcasting were the promotion of cultural diversity, education programmes, objective information to inform public opinion and guarantee pluralism.
A review team set up to look into the operation of the Education 22 channel had recommended was that any decision regarding the station had to be taken as part of the review of the public broadcasting sector.
Mrs Cristina said the new broadcasting structure as defined by the directive while encouraging competition would set regulations and give flexibility for financing programmes through advertising. The regulations aimed at reducing bureaucracy and arriving at self- and co-regulation also ruled against discrimination and gave new rights to citizens while protecting European values.
The Bill aimed to strike a balance between the media industry needs and consumers' expectations and also regulated the non-linear media which were most accessible and influenced lifestyles.
The directive limited spot advertising to 12 minutes every hour. Teleshopping was also being regulated. The ministry set up a working group to draft a three-year action plan to identify the programmes to be made accessible to people with audio and visual impairment.
The BA had to set up consultative committees to implement the directive. This included better regulation of children's programmes, the protection of those who were vulnerable, better use of the Maltese language, advertising and supervision of relevant laws on news and current affairs. The BA was also responsible for regulating the content of non-linear programmes.