Editing Malta (section)

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Malta}}
The culture of Malta reflects the various cultures that have come into contact with the Maltese Islands throughout the centuries.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The struggle for independence  |newspaper=[[Times of Malta]] |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180926/community/the-struggle-for-independence.690050 |url-status=live |access-date=26 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926201610/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180926/community/the-struggle-for-independence.690050 |archive-date=26 September 2018}}</ref>

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Malta}}
[[File:Manoel Theater.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Manoel Theatre]], Europe's third-oldest working theatre. Now Malta's National Theatre and home to the [[Malta Philharmonic Orchestra]].]]
While Maltese music today is largely Western, traditional Maltese music includes what is known as ''[[Għana (folk music)|għana]]''. This consists of background [[folk guitar]] music, while a few people, generally men, take it in turns to argue a point in a sing-song voice. Music plays an important part in Maltese culture as each locality parades its own band club, on various occasions these being multiple per locality, and function to establish the thematic musical background to the various [[Public holidays in Malta|village feasts]]. The [[Malta Philharmonic Orchestra]] is recognised as Malta's foremost musical institution and is notable for being called to participate in important state events.

Contemporary music in Malta spans a variety of styles and sports international classical talents such as [[Miriam Gauci]] and [[Joseph Calleja]], as well as non-classical music bands such as [[Winter Moods]], and [[Red Electric (band)|Red Electric]], and singers like [[Ira Losco]], [[Fabrizio Faniello]], [[Glen Vella]], [[Kevin Borg]], [[Kurt Calleja]], [[Chiara Siracusa]], and [[Thea Garrett]].

===Literature===
{{Main|Maltese literature}}
Documented Maltese literature is over 200 years old. However, a recently unearthed love ballad testifies to literary activity in the local tongue from the Medieval period. Malta followed a Romantic literary tradition, culminating in the works of [[Dun Karm Psaila]], Malta's national poet. Subsequent writers like [[Ruzar Briffa]] and Karmenu Vassallo tried to estrange themselves from the rigidity of formal themes and versification.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Malta Country: Strategic Information and Developments |date=3 March 2012 |publisher=Int'l Business Publications |isbn=978-1-4387-7497-8}}</ref>

The next generation of writers, including [[Karl Schembri]] and [[Immanuel Mifsud]], widened the tracks further, especially in prose and poetry.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments |publisher=Int'l Business Publications, Inc. |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4330-6350-3 |page=38}}</ref>

===Architecture===
{{main|Architecture of Malta}}
[[File:Valletta Lower Barrakka gardens Malta 2014 2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Lower Barrakka Gardens]]]]

Maltese architecture has been influenced by many different Mediterranean cultures and British architecture over its history.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Diab |first=Khaled |date=26 July 2010 |title=Malta's mash of civilisations {{!}} Khaled Diab |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/26/malta-mash-civilisations-eu-membership |url-status=live |access-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810094352/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/26/malta-mash-civilisations-eu-membership |archive-date=10 August 2018 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The first settlers on the island constructed [[Ġgantija]], one of the oldest manmade freestanding structures in the world. The Neolithic temple builders (3800–2500 BC) endowed the numerous temples of Malta and Gozo with intricate bas-relief designs.

The Roman period introduced highly decorative mosaic floors, marble colonnades, and classical statuary, remnants of which are beautifully preserved and presented in the Roman Domus, a country villa just outside the walls of [[Mdina]]. The early Christian frescoes that decorate the [[catacombs]] beneath Malta reveal a propensity for eastern, [[Byzantine]] tastes. These tastes continued to inform the endeavours of [[medieval]] Maltese artists, but they were increasingly influenced by the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] and [[Southern Gothic]] movements.

===Art===

Towards the end of the 15th century, Maltese artists, like their counterparts in Sicily, came under the influence of the School of [[Antonello da Messina]], which introduced [[Renaissance]] ideals and concepts to the decorative arts in Malta.<ref name="hopeandoptimism1">{{Cite web |last=Cutajar, D. |title=An Overview of the Art of Malta |url=http://www.hopeandoptimism.com/essay.htm  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206001808/http://www.hopeandoptimism.com/essay.htm |archive-date=6 December 2008 |access-date=31 March 2009 |website=The Hope and Optimism Portfolio}}</ref>

[[File:The Siege of Malta- Flight of the Turks, 13 September 1565 RMG L9745.jpg|thumb|''The Siege of Malta&nbsp;– Flight of the Turks'', by [[Matteo Perez d'Aleccio]]]]

The artistic heritage of Malta blossomed under the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of St. John]], who brought Italian and Flemish [[Mannerist]] painters to decorate their palaces and the churches of these islands, most notably, [[Matteo Perez d'Aleccio]], whose works appear in the [[Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta|Magisterial Palace]] and in the [[St. John's Co-Cathedral|Conventual Church of St. John]] in Valletta, and Filippo Paladini, who was active in Malta from 1590 to 1595. For many years, Mannerism continued to inform the tastes and ideals of local Maltese artists.<ref name="hopeandoptimism1" />

The arrival in Malta of [[Caravaggio]], who painted at least seven works during his 15-month stay on these islands, further revolutionised local art. Two of Caravaggio's most notable works, ''[[The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (Caravaggio)|The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist]]'' and ''[[Saint Jerome Writing (Valletta)|Saint Jerome Writing]]'', are on display in the Conventual Church of St. John. His legacy is evident in the works of local artists Giulio Cassarino and [[Stefano Erardi]]. However, the [[Baroque]] movement that followed was destined to have the most enduring impact on Maltese art and architecture. The vault paintings of the Calabrese artist [[Mattia Preti]] transformed the Conventual Church St. John into a Baroque masterpiece. [[Melchiorre Cafà|Melchior Gafà]] emerged as one of the top Baroque sculptors of the Roman School.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Medina |first=Ashley Marie |title=Melchiorre Cafà and Camillo Pamphilj: The Art of Patronage in Seventeenth-Century Rome |date=June 2015 |access-date=2 August 2024 |degree=Master of Arts |publisher=[[UC Riverside]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/ef0ceaa780966f1127433fffb784dec7/}}</ref>

[[File:'Still Life of Pomegranates, Peaches, Apples and other Fruit' by Francesco Noletti.jpg|thumb|[[Francesco Noletti]]'s ''Still Life of Pomegranates, Peaches and other Fruits'']]

During the 17th and 18th century, [[Naples|Neapolitan]] and [[Rococo]] influences emerged in the works of the Italian painters [[Luca Giordano]] and [[Francesco Solimena]], and these developments can be seen in the work of their Maltese contemporaries such as [[Gio Nicola Buhagiar]] and [[Francesco Zahra]]. The Rococo movement was greatly enhanced by the relocation to Malta of [[Antoine de Favray]], who assumed the position of court painter to Grand Master Pinto in 1744.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Antoine Favray And his works  |url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2008-03-26/news/antoine-favray-and-his-works-205443/ |date=26 March 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619120019/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2008-03-26/news/antoine-favray-and-his-works-205443 |archive-date=19 June 2019 |access-date=17 January 2020 |website=The Malta Independent}}</ref>

[[Neo-classicism]] made some inroads among local Maltese artists in the late-18th century, but this trend was reversed in the early 19th century, as the local Church authorities&nbsp;– perhaps in an effort to strengthen Catholic resolve against the perceived threat of Protestantism during the early days of British rule in Malta&nbsp;– favoured and avidly promoted the religious themes embraced by the [[Nazarene movement]]. [[Romanticism]], tempered by the naturalism introduced to Malta by [[Giuseppe Calì]], informed the "salon" artists of the early 20th century, including Edward and Robert Caruana Dingli.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petroni |first=Nikki |date=12 February 2017 |title=Intimacy and Introspection |url=https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170212/282544428053095 |access-date=17 January 2020 |website=The Malta Independent |archive-date=3 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203120207/https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170212/282544428053095 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Parliament established the National School of Art in the 1920s. During the reconstruction period that followed the Second World War, the emergence of the "Modern Art Group", whose members included Josef Kalleya, George Preca, Anton Inglott, [[Emvin Cremona]], [[Frank Portelli (artist)|Frank Portelli]], [[Antoine Camilleri (artist)|Antoine Camilleri]], [[Gabriel Caruana]] and [[Esprit Barthet]] greatly enhanced the local art scene. This group came together forming an influential pressure group known as the Modern Art Group, which played a leading role in the renewal of Maltese art. Most of Malta's modern artists have in fact studied in Art institutions in England, or on the continent, leading to a diversity of artistic expression that has remained characteristic of contemporary Maltese art. In Valletta, the [[National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta|National Museum of Fine Arts]] featured work from artists such as [[H. Craig Hanna]].<ref name="MaltaInd">[http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-04-23/news/right-outside-my-window-90329/ "Right Outside my Window"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416182555/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-04-23/news/right-outside-my-window-90329/ |date=16 April 2014 }}, ''The Malta Independent'', 23 April 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2014</ref> In 2018 the national collection of fine arts was put on display in the new National Museum of Art, [[MUŻA]], at [[Auberge d'Italie]] in Valletta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Updated: New museum for contemporary artists opened in Valletta |first1= Giulia |last1=Magri |date=10 November 2018 |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-11-10/local-news/New-museum-for-contemporary-artists-opened-in-Valletta-6736199157 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212070513/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-11-10/local-news/New-museum-for-contemporary-artists-opened-in-Valletta-6736199157 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |access-date=11 February 2019 |website=The Malta Independent}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Maltese cuisine|List of Maltese dishes}}
[[File:Malta Pastizzi.JPG|thumb|left|upright|''[[Pastizzi]]'', a typical Maltese snack]]
Maltese cuisine shows strong [[Sicilian cuisine|Sicilian]] and [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] influences as well as influences of [[English cuisine|English]], [[Spanish cuisine|Spanish]], [[Maghreb cuisine|Maghrebin]] and [[Provençal cuisine|Provençal]] cuisines. A number of regional variations can be noted as well as seasonal variations associated with the seasonal availability of produce and Christian feasts (such as [[Lent]], Easter and Christmas). Food has been important historically in the development of a national identity in particular the traditional ''fenkata'' (i.e., the eating of stewed or fried rabbit). Potatoes are a staple of the Maltese diet as well.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cassar |first=Carmel |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/23890/FENKATA.PDF?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |title=Fenkata: an emblem of Maltese peasant resistance? |publisher=Ministry for Youth and the Arts |year=1994 |page=19 |access-date=4 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113003419/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/23890/FENKATA.PDF?sequence=1 |archive-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref>

A number of grapes are endemic to Malta, including [[Girgentina]] and [[Ġellewża]]. There is a strong [[Maltese wine|wine industry]], with significant production of wines using these native grapes, as well as locally grown grapes of other more common varietals. A number of wines have achieved [[Protected Designation of Origin]], with wines produced from grapes cultivated in Malta and Gozo designated as "DOK" wines, that is ''Denominazzjoni ta' l-Oriġini Kontrollata''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quality Wines |url=https://agriculture.gov.mt/en/agricultural_directorate/Pages/qualityWines.aspx |website=agriculture.gov.mt |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Customs===
{{Main|Maltese folklore}}
A 2010 [[Charities Aid Foundation]] study found that the Maltese were the most generous people in the world, with 83% contributing to charity.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crary |first=David |date=9 September 2010 |title=Study finds Americans in generous mood |work=The Huffington Post via Burlington Free Press |url=http://silentrebellion.newsvine.com/_news/2010/09/09/5079433-11-most-generous-countries-of-2010  |access-date=11 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406130057/http://silentrebellion.newsvine.com/_news/2010/09/09/5079433-11-most-generous-countries-of-2010 |archive-date=6 April 2011}}</ref><!---note that location of soft copy and hard copy differ. They are the same article, however--->

Maltese folktales include various stories about mysterious creatures and supernatural events. These were most comprehensively compiled by the scholar (and pioneer in Maltese [[archaeology]]) [[Manuel Magri|Manwel Magri]]<ref>"Patri Manwel Magri u l-Ipoġew", Lil Ħbiebna, November 2003, pp. 195–197.</ref> in his core criticism "''Ħrejjef Missirijietna''" ("Fables from our Forefathers"). This collection of material inspired subsequent researchers and academics to gather traditional [[Folklore|tales]], [[fable]]s and [[legend]]s from all over the Archipelago.<ref name="MaltaRecentEconomic">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VAm3CwAAQBAJ&q=Valletta+Waterfront+and+Tign%C3%A9+Point+have+been+or+are+being+renovated&pg=PA38 |title=Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments |date=May 2007 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-4330-6350-3 |language=en}}</ref> While giants, witches, and dragons feature in many of the stories, some contain entirely Maltese creatures like the [[Kaw kaw]], [[Il-Belliegħa]] and [[L-Imħalla]] among others.

===Traditions===
Traditional Maltese proverbs reveal cultural importance of childbearing and fertility: "''iż-żwieġ mingħajr tarbija ma fihx tgawdija''" (a childless marriage cannot be a happy one). This is a belief that Malta shares with many other Mediterranean cultures. In Maltese folktales the local variant of the classic closing formula, "and they all lived happily ever after" is "''u għammru u tgħammru, u spiċċat''" (and they lived together, and they had children together, and the tale is finished).<ref>Cassar Pullicino, J. (1992) "A New Look at Old Customs", in [https://books.google.com/books?id=2TbaAAAAMAAJ ''Studies in Maltese Folklore''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907184538/https://books.google.com/books?id=2TbaAAAAMAAJ |date=7 September 2015 }}, Malta University Press (1992).</ref>
[[File:Carnival in Valletta - Costumes from the Renaissance 01.jpg|thumb|[[Maltese Carnival|Maltese carnival]] has been celebrated since the 1400s.]]
Rural Malta shares in common with the Mediterranean society a number of superstitions regarding fertility, menstruation, and pregnancy, including the avoidance of cemeteries leading up to childbirth, and avoiding the preparation of certain foods during menses. Pregnant women are encouraged to satisfy their [[food cravings]], out of fear that their unborn child will bear a representational birth mark (Maltese: ''xewqa'', literally "desire" or "craving"). Maltese and Sicilian women also share certain traditions that are believed to predict the sex of an unborn child.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

Traditionally, Maltese newborns were baptised as promptly as possible. Traditional Maltese delicacies served at a baptismal feast include ''biskuttini tal-magħmudija'' (almond macaroons), ''it-torta tal-marmorata'' (a spicy, heart-shaped tart of chocolate-flavoured [[almond paste]]), and a liqueur known as ''rożolin'', made with rose petals, violets, and almonds.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

On a child's first birthday, in a tradition that still survives today, Maltese parents would organise a game known as ''il-quċċija'', where a variety of symbolic objects would be randomly placed around the child. Whichever object the child shows the most interest in is said to reveal the child's path and fortunes in adulthood.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maltese Traditions: Il-Quċċija |url=https://www.airmalta.com/destinations/malta/blog/detail/maltese-traditions-il-quccija |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709143201/https://www.airmalta.com/destinations/malta/blog/detail/maltese-traditions-il-quccija |archive-date=9 July 2019 |access-date=9 July 2019 |website=Airmalta.com|date=2 March 2015}}</ref>

Traditional Maltese weddings featured the bridal party walking in procession beneath an ornate canopy, from the home of the bride's family to the parish church, with singers trailing behind (''il-ġilwa''). New wives would wear the [[għonnella]], a traditional item of Maltese clothing. Today's couples are married in churches or chapels in the village or town of their choice, usually followed by a lavish wedding reception. Occasionally, couples will try to incorporate elements of the traditional Maltese wedding in their celebration. A resurgent interest in the traditional wedding was evident in May 2007, when thousands of Maltese and tourists attended a traditional Maltese wedding in the style of the 16th century, in [[Żurrieq]].{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

===Festivals and events===
[[File:The statue of St. George issuing from the Basilica on the third Sunday of July.jpg|thumb|The statue of St. George at the ''festa'' of [[Victoria, Gozo]]|219x219px]]
Local festivals, similar to those in Southern Italy, are commonplace in Malta and Gozo, celebrating weddings, [[Baptism|christenings]] and, most prominently, [[calendar of saints|saints' days]]. On saints' days, in the morning, the ''festa'' reaches its apex with a [[Mass (liturgy)|High Mass]] featuring a sermon on the life and achievements of the patron saint. In the evening, a statue of the religious patron is taken around the local streets in solemn procession, with the faithful following in prayer. The atmosphere of religious devotion is preceded by several days of celebration and revelry: band marches, [[fireworks]], and late-night parties. The largest festa is possibly that of the [[Assumption of Mary]], which is celebrated in 8 parishes on 15 August and in 2 other parishes the following Sunday.<ref>{{cite web |title=Malta celebrates Santa Marija: A day of faith, history, and festivity |url=https://newsbook.com.mt/en/malta-celebrates-santa-marija-a-day-of-faith-history-and-festivity/ |website=Newsbook}}</ref>[[File:Saint Mary Mgarr.jpg|thumb|221x221px|The statue of [[Holy Mary|Santa Marija]] at the ''festa'' of [[Mġarr|Mġarr, Malta]]|left]] [[Maltese Carnival|Carnival]] (Maltese: ''il-karnival ta' Malta'') has had an important place on the cultural calendar after [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] It is held during the week leading up to [[Ash Wednesday]], and typically includes masked balls, fancy dress and grotesque mask competitions, lavish late-night parties, a colourful, ticker-tape parade of allegorical [[float (parade)|floats]] presided over by King Carnival (Maltese: ''ir-Re tal-Karnival''), marching bands and costumed revellers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2017 |title=The Malta Independent on Sunday |url=https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170312/282226600527054 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219090605/https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170312/282226600527054 |archive-date=19 December 2019 |access-date=19 December 2019 |via=PressReader}}</ref>

[[Holy Week in Malta|Holy Week]] (Maltese: ''il-Ġimgħa Mqaddsa'') starts on [[Palm Sunday]] (''Ħadd il-Palm'') and ends on [[Easter|Easter Sunday]] (''Ħadd il-Għid'').

<!-- This section is linked from 29 June -->
[[Maltese folklore#Mnarja|Mnarja]], or l-Imnarja (pronounced ''lim-nar-ya'') is one of the most important dates on the Maltese cultural calendar. Officially, it is a national festival dedicated to the feast of [[Saint]]s [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]]. Its roots can be traced back to the pagan [[Roman Republic|Roman]] feast of ''Luminaria'' (literally, "the illumination"), when torches and bonfires lit up the early summer night of 29 June.<ref>''Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments'' {{ISBN|978-1-433-06350-3}} p. 41</ref> The festivities still commence today with the reading of the ''"bandu"'', an official governmental announcement, which has been read on this day in Malta since the 16th century. It is said that under the Knights, this was the one day in the year when the Maltese were allowed to hunt and eat [[hare|wild rabbit]], which was otherwise reserved for the hunting pleasures of the Knights. The close connection between Mnarja and [[rabbit stew]] (Maltese: ''"fenkata"'') remains strong today.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cassar |first=Carmel |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/23890/1/FENKATA.PDF |title=Fenkata: An emblem of Maltese peasant resistance? |date=1994 |publisher=Ministry for Youth and the Arts |access-date=18 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218193705/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/23890/1/FENKATA.PDF |archive-date=18 December 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Malta - ZebbugM - Good Friday 225 ies.jpg|thumb|[[Holy Week procession]] in Żebbuġ|202x202px]]Isle of MTV is a one-day music festival produced and broadcast on an annual basis by MTV. The festival has been arranged annually in Malta since 2007, with major pop artists performing each year. 2012 saw the performances of worldwide acclaimed artists [[Flo Rida]], [[Nelly Furtado]] and [[Will.i.am]]. Over 50,000 people attended, which marked the biggest attendance so far.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isle of MTV 2012 |url=http://www.gozoandmalta.com/galleries/index.php/Isle-of-MTV-2012---Photos-by-Clint-Gerald-Attard  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708022315/http://www.gozoandmalta.com/galleries/index.php/Isle-of-MTV-2012---Photos-by-Clint-Gerald-Attard |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=28 June 2012 |url-status=usurped |publisher=gozoandmalta}}</ref>

The Malta International Fireworks Festival has been arranged annually in the [[Grand Harbour]] of Valletta since 2003.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 February 2016 |title=Top 25 Annual Events in Malta Not to Miss |work=MaltaUncovered.com |url=https://www.maltauncovered.com/things-to-do/top-events/  |access-date=4 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104192312/https://www.maltauncovered.com/things-to-do/top-events/ |archive-date=4 January 2018}}</ref>

===Media===
{{further|List of newspapers in Malta|List of radio stations in Malta|Television in Malta}}
The most widely read and financially the strongest newspapers are published by Allied Newspapers Ltd., mainly ''[[The Times of Malta]]'' (27 percent) and its Sunday edition ''The Sunday Times of Malta'' (51.6 percent).{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}} Due to [[Multilingualism|bilingualism]] half of the newspapers are published in English and the other half in [[Maltese language|Maltese]]. The Sunday newspaper ''It-Torċa'' ("The Torch") published by a subsidiary of the [[General Workers' Union (Malta)|General Workers' Union]], is the widest Maltese language paper. Its sister paper, ''[[L-Orizzont]]'' ("The Horizon"), is the Maltese daily with the biggest circulation. There is a high number of daily or weekly newspapers&mdash;one for every 28,000&nbsp;people. Advertising, sales, and [[Subsidy|subsidies]] are the three main methods of financing.<ref name="a1">{{Cite web |last=Borg, Joseph |title=Malta – Media Landscape |url=http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/malta  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214170706/http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/malta |archive-date=14 February 2016 |access-date=10 March 2016 |website=European Journalism Centre}}</ref>

There are nine terrestrial television channels in Malta: [[TVM (Malta)|TVM]], [[TVMNews+]], [[Parliament TV (Malta)|Parliament TV]], [[One (Maltese TV channel)|One]], [[NET Television (Malta)|NET Television]], [[Smash Television]], [[F Living]], [[TVMSport+]] and [[Xejk]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Debattista |first=Martin |date=20 October 2011 |title=Analogue TV is dead: Long live digital TV! |work=The Times of Malta |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111020/technology/Analogue-TV-is-dead-Long-live-digital-TV-.389995 |url-status=live |access-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408015221/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111020/technology/Analogue-TV-is-dead-Long-live-digital-TV-.389995 |archive-date=8 April 2016}}</ref> The state and [[List of political parties in Malta|political parties]] subsidise most of the funding of these channels. TVM, TVMNews+, and Parliament TV are operated by [[Public Broadcasting Services]], the [[public broadcasting|national broadcaster]], and members of the [[European Broadcasting Union|EBU]]. Media.link Communications Ltd., the owner of NET Television, and [[One Productions Ltd]]., the owner of One, are affiliated with the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist]] and [[Labour Party (Malta)|Labour]] parties, respectively. The rest are privately owned. The Malta Broadcasting Authority has authority to supervise all local broadcasting stations and ensures their compliance with legal and licence obligations as well as the preservation of due impartiality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://ba.org.mt/about-us |access-date=26 June 2024 |website=ba.org.mt}}</ref>

The Malta Communications Authority reported that there were 147,896 pay TV subscriptions active at the end of 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MCA Communications Market Review, July to December 2012 |url=https://www.mca.org.mt/sites/default/files/attachments/reports/2013/cmr-sh-2012-report-24-04-2012.pdf  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512091647/http://www.mca.org.mt/sites/default/files/attachments/reports/2013/cmr-sh-2012-report-24-04-2012.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2013 |access-date=11 June 2013 |publisher=Malta Communications Authority}}</ref> For reference the 2011 census counts 139,583 households in Malta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing 2011 (Preliminary Report) |url=http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3424  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515202638/http://nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3424 |archive-date=15 May 2013 |access-date=11 June 2013 |publisher=National Statistics Office, Malta}}</ref> Satellite reception is available to receive other European television networks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Broadcasting Authority |url=https://ba.org.mt/en/home |access-date=16 April 2024 |website=ba.org.mt |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820053003/https://ba.org.mt/en/home |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in Malta}}
Football (soccer) is one of the most popular sports in Malta. Other popular sports include [[boċċi]], horse racing, [[gostra]], [[regatta]], [[water polo]], [[clay pigeon shooting]], and motorsports.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.welcome-center-malta.com/post/top-sports-in-malta-traditional-and-most-common|access-date=10 September 2023|title=Top sports in Malta|publisher=Welcome Center Malta}}</ref>

In 2018 Malta hosted its first [[Esports]] tournament, 'Supernova CS:GO Malta',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supernova CS:GO Malta &#124; Malta's first ever pro esports tournament |url=https://www.supernovamalta.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816074525/https://www.supernovamalta.com/ |archive-date=16 August 2019 |access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref> a [[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive]] tournament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SUPERNOVA CS:GO MALTA |url=https://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2018-11/supernova-cs-go-malta-12050 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709144543/https://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2018-11/supernova-cs-go-malta-12050 |archive-date=9 July 2019 |access-date=9 July 2019 |website=Visitmalta.com}}</ref> Also since 2018, Malta has become the primary location for hosting the [[ESL Pro League]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESL Pro League remains in Malta until 2024 |url=https://esportsinsider.com/2022/08/esl-pro-league-remains-in-malta-until-2024 |access-date=22 March 2023 |website=esportsinsider.com |date=25 August 2022 |archive-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322130141/https://esportsinsider.com/2022/08/esl-pro-league-remains-in-malta-until-2024 |url-status=live }}</ref>