The Public Broadcasting Services has filed a court application urging the court to urgently hear the PN's injunction stopping it from airing political spots related to the 2025 budget. 

Last week the PN successfully obtained a warrant of prohibitory injunction which put a stop to the national broadcaster airing the spots, which featured Prime Minister Robert Abela. 

The PN maintain that the spots are "unconstitutional" because they breach laws that prohibit partisan content on public broadcasting platforms. 

PBS denied that this is the case and said that such adverts have been broadcast for "decades" and both during PN and PL-led administrations. 

So long as these spots never broke any broadcasting laws, PBS has always broadcast these spots as requested by the Government. 

PBS added that it has always made a clear distinction between spots broadcast within the context of an electoral campaign - where it is the Broadcasting Authority that sets the schedule for political spots - and spots that are aimed at informing the public about the fiscal and social measures announced in the budget. 

After airing the October 27 spot, which is the one the PN objected to, PBS received another two spots from the government and after an internal editorial evaluation, it was established that these spots did not breach the relevant article of the constitution. 

It also pointed out that despite filing complaints about these spots as well, the PN appeared to be broadcasting them on its own media without issue. 

PBS said that disproportionate interference in the operations of public broadcasting could lead to prejudice that impedes stations from delivering informative content that is in the national interest to the public in a timely manner. 

this is why an urgent hearing is needed, they said.