Melita has chosen French firm Netgem to provide set-top boxes for its high-definition pay-TV service, delivered over a hybrid cable and IPTV network.

The new PVR set-top box will be up and running in time for this year’s Football World Cup in South Africa, enabling subscribers to record, pause and rewind live matches and other programmes, as well as access multiple language commentary throughout the tournament.

Melita also plans to nearly double its TV channel line-up to 150 channels by June, and has committed itself to creating a number of niche channels to cater for Malta’s increasingly international population.

“Netgem’s hybrid cable digital TV solution and Netbox devices are a great investment,” said Joe Gasan, chairman of Melita. “Their smart technology cleverly combines broadband and broadcast delivered content into one, seamless and very attractive user experience that can scale as we create new services and add subscribers.”

The company currently serves over 180,000 customers with a combination of television, broadband and voice (fixed-line and mobile) services.