Four of Malta’s leading independent media companies have written to the prime minister to warn him that a proposed change to broadcasting laws would make online news shows financially impossible to sustain.
Directors and owners of Times of Malta, Malta Today, Lovin Malta and The Malta Independent told Prime Minister Robert Abela on Monday that the legal amendments posed a risk to media pluralism in Malta.
“We are highly concerned by how this law will further threaten media pluralism in Malta which is already considered to be at a high risk. This law leaves no room for independent online audio-visual news and current affairs programmes to sustain their operations financially,” the letter reads.
The reform, due to be debated in Parliament in the coming days, would prohibit online news and current affairs programmes from having sponsors, product placement or pop-up advertising.
The reform is based on transposing EU laws and would also place internet shows under the jurisdiction of the state’s Broadcasting Authority
Times of Malta editor Herman Grech has argued that one or more Maltese media houses, newspapers, or websites will cease to exist in the next five years.
Meanwhile, in their letter to Abela, the media organisations argue that regulation of the sector should seek to increase transparency, quality and media pluralism.
The proposed changes, however, would stop online news and current affairs programmes in their tracks, they said, arguing that this was coming “at a time when any modern democracy depends on independent journalism more than ever”.
The media companies argue that while TV stations can monetise news programmes by selling advertising airtime in various slots around and during programmes, this is not a possibility for online shows since video-sharing platforms like Facebook and YouTube do not allow for this type of advertising.
While the media houses acknowledge the need to create a level-playing field between TV producers and online producers, they say that replicating “outdated” TV regulations and imposing them on online platforms is highly discriminatory.
“In transposing this EU directive, Maltese legislators must consider the local context and see what other mechanisms can be put in place to counteract any negative impacts,” the media houses said.
Independent producers of audio-visual news and current affairs content must already compete in a context of unfair competition.
“Our three main broadcasters compete for advertising revenue even though one of them is a State broadcaster that enjoys public funding, and the other two are subsidised by political parties and their anonymous donors, allowing them to sell advertising for political influence directly or indirectly,” the letter reads.
The media organisations also pointed to the "problematic" set up of the Broadcasting Authority, which is appointed by the two main political parties.
The organisations called for the postponement of the enforcement of the new regulations of the EU Directive until Malta regularises its position when it comes to the setup of the Broadcasting Authority, the nature of the national broadcaster and the legality of political party stations.