As the line up of the World Cup quarter-finals was made known last Tuesday and in preparation for the business end of the tournament, to kick off tomorrow, The Malta Independent spoke to local producers and presenters of football programmes dedicated to this unique tournament on three TV stations.
Medialink head of sports Manwel Gauci said that the 15-minute programme being transmitted by NET Television was quite popular with local viewers.
“To be honest, I was quite surprised by the feedback that we got from our viewers as the amount of SMS messages is extremely high. It appears that there is a substantial market for those who wish to watch highlights of World Cup matches. We did not get any negative comments as the service we are offering is on a par, if not better, than other local stations, apart from Melita,” Mr Gauci said.
NET TV is also transmitting one full match every day, and every week there is the popular Replay programme, which deals specifically with the World Cup, Mr Gauci added.
ONE Productions sports journalist Alex Camilleri was similarly upbeat on the response to that station’s collection of TV and radio programmes dealing with the World Cup.
“We are currently screening two short TV programmes every day, one at 8.15pm and the other at 11.15pm where the response has been excellent with a large number of SMS messages and phone-ins. We also have a radio programme at 7.45pm which is also well followed apart from the fact that we are screening the England-Portugal quarter final live and are also transmitting the semi-final and final,” Mr Camilleri explained.
The most popular World Cup programme is however Melita Cable’s special Kick Off World Cup edition, transmitted on the Sports Channel.
Speaking to The Malta Independent, producer and presenter Peter Paul Gauci said that he felt overwhelmed by the positive response received from the thousands of viewers who watch the programme.
“Although I had expected a good response, I am happy to say that the positive feedback that we are getting is enormous. One of the most popular features appears to be the slow-motion angle which has brought unprecedented response and I would like to thank all the dedicated staff from Melita Cable who are making everything possible,” he said.
Mr Gauci said that over 25 people are involved in the programme, including camera persons, floor managers, transmission staff, journalists and guests. He said that the introduction of referee Chris Lautier on the panel had been extremely well received by the sporting community.
Mr Gauci said that the telephone calls and SMS messages were an integral part of the programme as public participation was essential for success of the venture.