Media in Malta

Malta has a formal but fragmented media system. In a September 2025 Broadcasting Authority survey of residents aged 12 and above, 87.3% reported watching television and 70% listening to radio. Television was the preferred source of local news for 42.3% of respondents, followed by online news portals at 27.6%, Facebook at 16.7% and radio at 8.7%. TVM was the most-followed local television service at 24.5%, followed by ONE at 18.2% and NET TV at 17.9%. News was the preferred local television genre for 80.2% of respondents. Public Broadcasting Services Ltd, usually called PBS, provides Malta's public-service broadcasting services, including TVM, TVMnews+, TVMsport+, Radju Malta, Radju Malta 2 and Magic Malta. Commercial, satellite, community and on-demand services operate alongside public broadcasting. At the end of 2024, the Broadcasting Authority register contained 76 licensed services, including television, national and community radio, digital radio and on-demand audiovisual services. The Broadcasting Authority, or BA, is the constitutional regulator for local broadcasting. It licenses and monitors services, conducts daily monitoring and handles formal complaints about broadcast content. Community radio provides a formal channel for local participation. A long-term community radio licence lasts three years, while a short-term licence can last up to one month. Short-term licences can support seasonal, cultural or religious programming. Radio remains widely accessible: 99% of surveyed households had a radio set, while 15.5% used live streaming and 7.5% used DAB+. Local television catch-up use was 6.5%, and local radio on-demand use was 0.4%. Paid television through Melita, GO or Epic accounted for 94.7% of television viewing in the 2025 survey. Exact provider tariffs are not published in one central national price list, so costs depend on the selected package and provider. Internet access is widespread. NSO data for people aged 16 to 74 recorded internet use at 96.0%, online information use at 92.6% and mobile internet access at 98.6% in 2025. Among people using local audiovisual content, Facebook reached 89%, YouTube 77.6%, Instagram 49% and timesofmalta.com 40% in the Broadcasting Authority survey. Mobile devices were the main access method at 95.3%. Malta has no single national streaming service or single authority covering every media type. Local streaming mainly uses broadcaster websites, catch-up services, web and over-the-top services, and social-video channels, while foreign platforms remain significant. The Media and Defamation Act, Cap. 579, governs key press and journalism matters; the former Press Act, Cap. 248, has been repealed. The Media Registrar handles the register for editors, publishers and media. A broadcast licence holder is treated as an editor and carries editorial responsibility. Journalistic sources receive protection, although a court may order disclosure when it finds a democratic need connected with matters such as national security, public safety or criminal justice. A right of reply can provide a factual correction or explanation through the same type of media. For a broadcast, the reply can last up to 180 seconds and should normally be made within two days; the claim expires after one month. A court judgment in a defamation case can also support a website takedown. The Broadcasting Act and related codes require accuracy and due impartiality in political or industrial controversy and current public policy. Political advertising is not permitted in broadcasting, and advertising may occupy no more than 20% of a clock hour, or 12 minutes. News and current-affairs programmes cannot be sponsored. The BA's election formats include debates, interviews and addresses, and political airtime is intended to be balanced among parties and candidates. The BA's audience survey is conducted periodically and covers residents aged 12 and above; it does not measure every reader of online news portals. Different rules apply to social media. The BA election guideline does not cover print, social media or online news portals. The Digital Services Act, or DSA, applies to services such as social networks, content-sharing services, hosting services and online platforms. In Malta, the Malta Communications Authority, or MCA, acts as the Digital Services Coordinator, known as the DSC, and handles relevant complaints about Malta-based providers. A user normally starts with the provider's internal complaint and appeal process before submitting an eligible complaint under Article 53 to the MCA. The DSA sets procedures for illegal-content reporting but does not itself define which content is illegal. The Information and Data Protection Commissioner, or IDPC, handles data-protection matters and participates in coordination on digital safety. BeSmartOnline! is Malta's Safer Internet Centre, coordinated by the MCA with partners including FSWS, Aġenzija Appoġġ, the Commissioner for Children and the Directorate for Education. It provides awareness, reporting support, victim assistance and media-literacy activities. Malta's arrangements for protecting minors online also involve the MCA, the Commissioner for Children and the Data Protection Commissioner. Broadcasting rules protect people under 18 from programmes that could seriously harm their physical, mental or moral development, including pornography and gratuitous violence. Advertising must not exploit children's immaturity or trust, encourage them to buy products or pressure them to influence their parents' purchases, or present sexualised or dangerous behaviour inappropriately. Coverage involving vulnerable people is subject to additional broadcasting standards. The 2024 review of three telethons found them nearly fully compliant with the relevant code. Public information can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act, Cap. 496, through the FOI Portal using an e-ID. Eligibility generally requires residence in Malta or at least five years of residence together with Maltese, EU or EEA citizenship. An authority normally decides within 20 working days and can extend the period by up to 40 working days. The application is free, although a document fee of up to €40 may apply. After payment, documents should normally be issued within 10 working days. An internal complaint must generally be filed within 10 working days, an appeal to the IDPC within 60 days and a tribunal appeal within 30 days. Some Broadcasting Authority documents are excluded. A broadcast complaint usually starts with the station and can then be sent to complaints.ba@ba.org.mt for the BA's assessment. The BA may combine internal review, monitoring evidence and a formal decision. More than 30 formal complaints were recorded in 2024, mainly concerning alleged partiality, unfair presentation and Maltese-language use. There is no general published BA decision deadline in the available information. Media pluralism remains politically sensitive: European Commission reporting in 2025 identified continuing concerns about PBS editorial independence and journalist safeguards, while proposed changes concerning media mergers, state advertising and alignment with the European Media Freedom Act were still being prepared. Malta's media therefore offers many access and participation channels, but responsibility and complaint procedures depend on the specific service and type of content.