The Tourism Ministry is about to sign a contract with MTV, the giant music TV station, to host another three Isle of MTV concerts following last year's major event.
The upcoming editions, in June 2008, 2009 and 2010, will be even bigger, with the organisation of a four-day Music Week in celebration of Isle of MTV, a Tourism Ministry spokesman said. The idea is to promote and sell the entire package overseas.
The Music Week should include parties in Malta and Gozo, organised locally but possibly filmed by MTV crew to run a special on Malta's nightlife.
Last year's event cost €800,000 (Lm343,440) - less than what it would cost the country just to bring over the talent, which had included the hottest-selling artistes of the season, Enrique Iglesias, Akon and Maroon 5.
It is not yet known who will be gracing the stage in Floriana in the third week of June but MTV has started scouting for talent and is again zooming in on singers that would be peaking in summer.
The deal means the show will be aired three times on every European MTV feed, together with spots on Malta until December, to attract foreigners to the event and to visit Malta afterwards. The agreement also includes tune-in spots, featuring Malta prominently, to encourage viewers to watch the TV show.
Negotiations with MTV started two weeks after last summer's concert, when the station expressed interest in repeating the venue although its policy is never to use the same country. The large turnout - about 50,000 - and the good vibes were cited by the Tourism Ministry as reasons for MTV's willingness to return.
The Isle of MTV promotion was important in the light of Malta's perception problem, the spokesman said. In the UK and France, its image was predominantly that of an old woman in black, or a knight. But, in reality, it also had a rich calendar of events that rivalled any major city and suited a variety of tastes.
The signing will be held today week and will be celebrated with a major party-style event in Merchants Street, Valletta, complete with a big screen to show last year's concert.