More than 30 per cent of households had installed satellite or internet-based TV connections like Dreambox by June, according to the latest figures.
Legal experts recently warned that such provision of free access to licensed channels could be breaching the Copyright Act.
The figure signifies an increase of 23 per cent over last year when only seven per cent of households registered such connections.
Despite this increased popularity, the market share of digital and cable television has continued to rise, by around nine percentage points over the past year, according to figures provided by the Broadcasting Authority.
In fact, nearly 55 per cent of respondents said they had more than one type of connection at home – a phenomenon that emerged during the last few months of 2009.
The statistics reveal changes in the TV habits of the Maltese, which industry sources say is probably the result of people being unhappy with conventional services being provided primarily by Melita Cable and Go.
“Football fans of the Premiership, Serie A and Champions League have no option nowadays than to subscribe to both Melita and Go. The satellite is the other option that has recently become more popular,” said Nationalist MP David Agius, who recently fronted a campaign calling for better access to football on television for consumers.
He pointed out that subscribing to both service providers was too expensive for many consumers.
The social affairs parliamentary committee set up to tackle this issue discussed these developments and the satellite matter will still be on the agenda when dealing with TV football rights, he told The Times.
Mr Agius pointed out that at the request of the committee there were three investigations under way by the Malta Communications Authority, the Consumer Division and the Copyright Board.
He noted that, due to the modern digital system, all those currently receiving TV channels via aerials would no longer be able to do so in the coming weeks.
“This means that all families will have to be subscribed, obviously against payment, to a service provider. This is another difficulty which the Maltese consumers will be facing and I will be bringing this matter before the competent authorities too.”
The legality issue highlighted by The Times has sparked heated reactions from consumers, who argued that the pricey and “arrogant” Melita and Go were responsible for the increased demand for satellite and internet-based connections.
Some also pointed out that the copyright issue will become increasingly difficult to challenge since many websites already provide free streaming of many licensed channels.