Public Broadcasting Services has filed a formal complaint with the organisers of the Vodafone Malta Television Awards that could lead to a new best TV station being declared.

The award went to One TV, which won the highest number of awards at the event on Saturday night.

However, PBS is claiming that one of the winning programmes, the Malta International TV Short Film Festival, which earned Education 22 a trophy, was actually shown on TVM and sponsored by the national station. Only later was it aired on Education 22, PBS chairman Claire Thake Vassallo explained when contacted.

One TV scooped the best TV station title having won 17 awards, seven of which were for one drama.

PBS came close with 16 awards in a wide variety of TV programmes, but it should have won the same amount as One TV had the Best Cultural Programme award gone to its rightful winner, the state broadcaster maintained.

That would mean both stations would have won the same number of awards.

So far, the organisers have acknowledged an informal complaint filed on the day after the show, Dr Thake Vassallo said.

She is requesting that the awards be assigned fairly and a recount made to set the record straight.

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