Viewers and broadcasters are unimpressed by Television Malta’s picture quality at the start of the new season, as the national broadcaster switches to virtual studios and uses green screens instead of physical sets.

TVM switched from physical sets to virtual ones at the start of the new television schedule earlier in October.

Presenters and anyone on camera are now surrounded by green screens which create virtual, instead of real, backgrounds.

But experienced persons in the media industry have called the decline in quality a ‘disgrace’, especially when considering PBS is the national broadcaster and is partly run on public funds.

Several viewers likened the picture quality to Smash TV, a privately run channel with a far smaller operational budget.

According to the government's financial estimates for 2022, PBS was allocated just shy of €6 million in taxpayer funding this year, up from €5.7 million the previous year.

One viewer said the slide in quality was a shame when considering that the quality of many TVM productions had increased significantly in recent years.

“The picture quality immediately puts you off from watching further,” he said.

Anger among employees

A broadcaster at TVM, who preferred to remain anonymous, said “no one is happy with the change”.

He said that presenters and production companies, who cooperate with PBS to produce TVM programmes, have their brand and reputation to think about. 

There are said to have been tensions between PBS technical staff and management on the issue, as the new system was introduced only a few weeks before the new season kicked off.

“People can judge for themselves when they look at the picture quality during programmes,” another broadcaster said.

PBS cites cost savings

A spokesperson for the Public Broadcasting Services, which runs TVM’s three channels, said virtual studios make the operation “not only cost-effective but also environmentally friendly”.

Moreover, “one of PBS’s objectives is to keep abreast with technological advances,” she said.

Tangible material is only used for foreground elements and props. A small area can cater for several productions, which previously needed much bigger spaces.

She said running virtual studios reduces costs in several ways, such as doing away with set construction and making lighting more efficient.

“It is a natural phenomenon that changes may be shocking for a few and inspiring for others.”

She said the required set-up had been designed, tested and integrated by PBS employees “through the collective effort of various departments, after satisfactory research and testing”.

However, giveaways that a programme is filmed in a virtual studio can be noted in several TVM programmes.

On Ron De Vu, a talk show, half of presenter Ron Biffa’s face was shaded in green, despite a beige and blue background on screen.

In programmes like TVAM and Xtra, people and inanimate objects were not clearly outlined in some of the shots.

During Il-Kampjonat, a weekly sports programme analysing mainly the local football premier league, parts of the set seemed to disappear, taking on the colour of the background.

The same happened to the presenters who at some point seemed to be missing parts of their bodies.

TVM’s switch to virtual is part of broader changes that include the setting up of a dedicated sports channel and a new on-demand service, marking the national broadcaster’s 60th anniversary.

Asked about the situation last week, the minister responsible, Owen Bonnici, attributed the change in picture quality to growing pains, saying that he had already noticed a better product when compared to the start of the use of virtual studios at the beginning of October.

“They are the future of broadcasting... I agree with the PBS decision to make use of virtual studios,” Bonnici said.