The quality of Maltese television productions is poor in the winter season, when it should be at its peak as more people stay at home, especially in the evenings. But in summer the situation is even worse, as the number of repetitions is endless and it gives me the creeps to see people in coats, polo-necks and mufflers while watching TV in my boxers. Any “new” summer productions are then a rehash of what we have seen before.

But before I go on about the low standards of what we watch on local stations, I would first of all like to write about the viewership figures that are released every now and then, and are boasted about by the production houses.

I have great doubts as to whether or not it is true that 100,000 people, at times even more, watch particular shows between October and June. Call me Thomas, but I just cannot believe these figures.

How can it be that, in Malta, 25 per cent of a population of 400,000, sometimes even more than that, are in front of their TV and tuned on the same channel when, abroad, the percentage of TV viewers for the top shows is much smaller?

Let’s take Italy, for example. There the number of viewers of the previous day’s programmes is published every day on the teletext services. Even the best programmes RAI and Mediaset produce only manage eight million viewers, at most 10. Italy has a population of nearly 60 million, which means a percentage of between 13 and 16. They get 25 per cent when their national football team is playing a World Cup game – and then only from the second round onwards.

How is it possible that we have double those figures for our top programmes? There have been instances when the numbers are said to have reached 120,000 and 140,000. Are we a nation of people who simply spend their free time munching popcorn in front of the TV? Do we have nothing better to do?

If children below the age of 16 are not included in the figures published, then of course the percentage would grow, considering that the adult population is around 320,000.

My suspicions are that the numbers are inflated to generate interest and increase revenue through advertising. The more people that watch a show, the more the producers can raise their advertising fees. But I believe the figures are misleading.

There is another reason why I think that the number of viewers is not as high as it is claimed to be – and here I go back to the quality of the programmes. I just cannot believe that a quarter of the population (a third, if only adults are counted) prefers to watch local productions when there is so much better on offer on foreign TV stations.

Are the expectations of the Maltese so low? Could it be that the number of Maltese people who cannot follow programmes in another language is higher than we think, and so they have no choice but to watch local TV stations?

Can it really be that the dramas or comedies that are produced by the BBC, Rai, Mediaset and other foreign stations are put aside to watch something like KC, Emilja or Simpatici? Each time I try to watch, I end up shaking my head in desperation at the poor acting, uninteresting storyline and lack of imagination.

Can it really be that entertainment and magazine programmes on foreign stations are ignored to watch Don’t stop me now, Kalamita and Malta l-Lejla? Again, each time I try to watch, I either dose off within minutes or else start thinking about a million other things except what I am trying to focus on. Watching an ant crawl on the carpet is more exciting.

Morning and afternoon shows are more or less copied from each other. The ingredients are the same – and I am not just referring to the cookery slots, which are common in each and every show. Viewers end up watching the same faces appearing first on one station and then on the other, repeating the same things over and over again. Sports programmes also leave much to be desired.

Compared to foreign TV productions, especially in the entertainment sector, local shows are devoid of quality, ideas and good presentation. Very few presenters have the ability to keep an audience attentive with their freshness and jibes. Many of them move from one station to another, or change the name of their programme or its time, but then present the same type of show with the same type of slots and the same guests. It’s so pathetic.

Resident participants are often boring, and it seems that some people think that knowing a subject gives them the authority to talk about it on TV. Listening to music on the radio or having an interest in the topic does not make one an expert in voice technique, appearance and performance, but some people are sufficiently pompous, arrogant and big-headed to think that they are.

It is then a pity that the few intelligent people with something to say are camera-shy and do not come across well with their audience. They have loads of interesting things to share with the viewers, but their communication skills are not top quality.

Could it be that the producers think that the Maltese people are stupid enough to accept anything that is thrown at them? Could it be that the producers believe they can just fill the time with anything because Maltese viewers will watch it anyway?

Bar a couple of discussion or documentary programmes such as Bijografiji that keep me watching till the end (and even then not always), the rest of the local productions – be they drama, magazine shows or other forms of entertainment – would get close to zero if I had to give them a grade.

I know that the foreign stations’ budgets are much higher than the amount that local production houses and stations can spend, but at the same time I expect the level of what is produced on local TV to go up, not down.

The decline started long ago, but the momentum has picked up in recent years.

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