TV Malta, Internet Malta, Phone Malta, Mobile Malta, Melita,

For only €50 per month you get unlimited calls to all local numbers and much more

Melita has just launched the fastest broadband internet in Malta reaching a download speed of up to 250 Megabits per second. This superfast internet service is available from this week at Tigne Point (Midi) and Fort Cambridge in Sliema and will gradually be rolled-out in more localities in Malta.

This new download speed represents more than double the current top speed of 100 megabits per second, which was launched in 2011 on a nationwide basis. This speed is packaged as part of Melita’s FibrePower product range and besides the staggering download speed, the product also offers an upload speed of up to 20 Megabits per second without any limits on download.

As an introductory offer, FibrePower 250 is bundled with Melita’s XL FibrePower Entertainment Pack at just EUR 96 per month – the same price of the existing 100 Megabit product. The bundle also includes XL TV package, HD service, Video-OnDemand!, Movies OnDemand! as well as telephony with free calls to all local numbers.

“The FibrePower 250 product leverages the investments Melita has made in the past years and further strengthens the company’s position as Malta’s fastest internet service provider. We are seeing an exponential growth in demand for higher speeds and capacity. This is driven by more people connected in the same household or business, more devices and more consumption of video over the internet”, commented Michael Darmanin, Director of Marketing & Corporate services at Melita. 

Customers may test and experience FibrePower 250 at Melita’s new retail outlet in Bisazza Street, Sliema from Monday to Friday between 9am and 2pm and from 4pm to 7pm or on Saturday’s from 9am to 1pm.

Melita is the only internet provider in Malta to offer broadband speeds of up to 250 Megabits per second. Melita also offers 100 Megabits per second nationwide and has been regularly confirmed by independent international test sites as Malta’s fastest internet service provider.

For more information visit www.melita.com/250 or Melita’s outlet in Bisazza Street, Sliema

Get the latest HTC One with our pay monthly mobile plans

Now available on Movie Rentals On Demand! with our Home Entertainment Packs

Melita HD will be adding the popular ITV Choice in High Definition to its channel line-up as from the 1^st of June. The channel joins other HD channels such as Discovery Showcase HD, National geographic HD, MTV LIVE HD, Sky News HD and many more.

An ITV Choice spokesperson said “Melita audiences will now be able to enjoy an enhanced viewing experience with premium, first run HD original productions, such as Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, and The Jonathan Ross Show fresh from UK schedules.”

Part of ITV Studios, the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, ITV Choice is the heart of new British drama & entertainment, available throughout Asia and the Middle East, reaching over 11 million households across 40 countries. ITV Choice broadcasts over 1,200 hours of new programming annually, showing a wide variety of award winning drama, light entertainment, cool comedy, soaps, fresh from UK broadcast in high definition.

ITV Choice is available on the Melita as part of the XL Entertainment Pack, on channel number 309 in Digital format and on channel 332 in High Definition.

For more information on Melita’s Home Entertainment Packs click here.

Melita recently supported the Malta eBusiness seminar organised by CSB Group in collaboration with the Malta Institute of Management. Business of all sizes in all sectors are using the Internet in many different ways – to work with partners and suppliers, for procurement, for internal activities such as knowledge sharing, a new sales channel and new product development, and much more. The aim of the seminar, entitled “Ecommerce – The way forward, Opportunities and Implications”, was to explore the benefits and challenges of ebusiness.

Addressing the seminar on behalf of Melita Business, Corporate Services Manager Antoine Sciberras commented that a good starting point for those seeking to move their business online is to understand that an online business runs on principles very similar to the traditional bricks-and-mortar retail business. “First and foremost you want to make sure that your ‘shop’ is as close as possible to your customers. A business owner also wants to ensure that his outlets can handle the traffic, especially when very busy, without affecting the customer experience.”

During his presentation, Ing. Sciberras guided the audience through the basic steps that a business goes through when moving or expanding to the online world. He stressed the importance of ensuring that business owners should not look only at the aesthetics but also the infrastructure used to ensure that customers can access information quickly and in a safe way. “When taking your business online it is important to choose a hosting provider – which would be referred to as a data centre, or co-location service, that ideally stands as close to your client base as possible. If you’re operating in Malta, your clients will have a better experience if the website is hosted locally. The provider you choose should also be robust and large enough to handle your traffic – online visitors don’t have the patience to wait for minutes until your page loads. Everything needs to happen in less than seconds.”

Melita has a dedicated business support team catering for businesses, ranging from self-employed to large international organisations. Apart from standard telecommunications services, Melita Business also offer co-location, dedicated point-to-point connectivity as well as international IP connectivity. Melita is the only operator in Malta to be connected to a Tier 1 Internet operator directly in Milan hence ensuring optimum connectivity to the rest of the world.

 For more information about Melita Business and for assistance on how Melita can assist your online business visit http://business.melita.com or call the dedicated line 27273535.

Malta’s entry “Tomorrow” by Gianluca Bezzina is now available on Melita’s OnDemand service along with the music videos of all the other participants for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. The music videos are available on Melita’s OnDemand! service as part of the Music Club section and may be played over and over again for free.

Customers browsing the Music Club of Melita’s OnDemand! Club will also find the latest hits from artist like Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and many more.

OnDemand! Club is available for free to all Home Entertainment Pack customers and is an international service operated by the same company that delivers services to renowned names such as Virgin Media in the UK and Kabel Deutschland in Germany.  Apart from offering a great selection of music videos, this service gives customers access to a fantastic selection of titles including hit TV series, movies, and children’s shows at no extra charge. And if you’re a movie buff, you can rent the latest blockbuster on MovieRentals OnDemand!, or favourite classic from Hollywood from just €1.49 and watch it as many times as you want for 48 hours. Melita OnDemand!:the revolutionary new way of watching what you want, when you want.

For more information visit ondemand.melita.com

One more first for Melita Mobile! Now customers can get  Malta’s first truly unlimited mobile plan for just EUR 50 per month. The new Unlimited Value plan XXL is a special limited time offer that entitles customers to unlimited calls and SMS to any local network as well as 3 Gigabytes of internet, when bringing their own phone.

This special offer is limited to the first 500 customers to switch and connect to Melita Mobile!

“Melita has consistently proven to be the best value mobile provider in Malta. This is confirmed by the thousands of customers that are regularly switching to Melita Mobile as well as by the official statistics that show that our clients talk much more, for less cost. The new Unlimited Value plans build on the same premise. They give you whatever you love, only more of it”, commented Michael Darmanin, Director of Marketing at Melita.

The newly launched Unlimited Value plans offer different options aimed at addressing different customer needs – from the occasional users to the power users. These new plans, which are subject to a 24 month agreement, start from just €20 per month and include massive bundles of calls, SMS and mobile internet. Clients can either choose one of the fantastic discounted 3G handsets or benefit from even more discounts if they bring their own phone.

To learn more about Melita Mobile tariff plans click here or any of our outlets and authorised resellers.

This is a company announcement being issued by Melita Capital plc (the “Company”) in accordance with Chapter 5 of the Listing Rules:

QUOTE:

The Board of Directors of the Company is scheduled to meet on the 16 April 2013 to consider, and if thought fit, approve, the Company’s financial statements for the financial year ended 31^st December 2012.

UNQUOTE.

By order of the Board. 

Henri Mizzi

Company Secretary

Melita Capital plc

Melita Business has recently supported two key events organised for local managers operating in different industries and sectors.

LEAD Events organised yet another successful and wide-ranging event which covered various aspect of management development. The Management EXPO covered topics such as people management, Creativity and innovation, Marketing and communications as well as Financial Management.

From left to right: Gilbert Formosa – Melita Business Sales Manager, James Grech – Managing Director at LEAD Training Services, Antoine Sciberras – Melita Corporate Services Manager

Similarly Melita Business also supported the 7^th International Taxation Conference, organised by the Malta Institute of Management, which focused specifically on the latest developments in International Tax Law. This event include both local and foreign speakers ranging from partners at Malta’s leading audit firms, as well as scholars Dr Niklas Schimdt and Prof Pasquale Pistone from Austria and Italy respectively.

“Melita has created a dedicated one-stop-shop for business. The expertise that Melita has acquired in its in-house business and custom projects with large customers is integrated into the solution design of the SME products. As a result, SME products from Melita are equally innovative for all sizes of customers, regardless of how simple or complex the business customer’s requirements are. Specialist teams are responsible for all aspect of product delivery – from the sale, installation and commissioning of the on-site solution. Supporting events such as these enables us to communicate the benefits for business customers to make use of our experience and expertise”, commented Claire Abela, Marketing Manager – Business Market.

For more information on Melita Business visit http://business.melita.com or call on the dedicated business hotline on 27273535

This Saturday don’t miss out on Malta’s national rugby team taking on Switzerland with a World Cup Qualifying place at stake. Follow the home match live on Melita’s local sports channel – Malta Stars (channel 614).

Photo by Jonathan Chetcuti

The live broadcast will start at 13:30 with a pre-match programme hosted by Sandro Micallef who will  then join Charles Vella for the live commentary.

Apart from promising a great sporting event, the match is expected to attract great crowds and rugby enthusiasts along with many people who just want to cheer the Malta national team. The South End Core will be orchestrating the entertainment and livening up the crowds to boost up the morale for the Malta team.

This is the second time since National Rugby Director and National Coach, Damian Neill’s took over the team, that Malta will be taking on Switzerland. The Swiss had narrowly lost to Malta on their home turf in 2005 but recently Switzerland impressed against current league leaders, the Netherlands, giving Neill and Team Manager Steve Busuttil tactical and logistical headaches.

Malta Stars is available on Melita’s TV Large and XLpackages.

For more information on Melita TV packages or to access Malta Stars channel call Melita’s customer contact centre on 27270270.

This week, popular TV channel ITV Choice which is available on the Melita XL package launched its new modern unifying brand identity.

The new branding aligns the channel more closely with its parent company ITV, who rebranded earlier this year, and is linked to the company’s overall Transformation Plan.

The newly renamed ITV Choice strengthens the channels brand identity, and reflects its proposition as a premium broadcaster, offering first run drama and entertainment, fresh from UK schedules.

ITV Choice is available on the Melita TV XL package channel number 309.

‘Moves to Checkmate’ organised by Business Leaders Malta was once again supported by Melita. The annual event attracted hundreds of business leaders and senior managers from leading organisations in Malta.

Ludolf Rasterhoff, Melita’s Chief Operating Officer was invited to sit on the main discussion panel chaired by Ms Joanna Ripard. The panel discussed the importance of strategy and key turning points for business.

“Melita has demonstrated it is capable of focusing and executing its strategy. First it focused on the launch of Mobile with 23% of all mobile minutes now coming from its network and a 13% market share in just three years after launch. Then it invested heavily in upgrading its broadband network to be able deliver 100 Megabits in every household in Malta and Gozo thereby fulfilling customers’ need for more bandwidth in the house from the growing number of connected devices like smartphones and tablets. This investment, in combination with the speed upgrades and improved focus on customer care, has resulted in consistent market share growth for the last seven quarters”, said Mr Rasterhoff.

The panel members covered a wide array of business sectors from FMCG to banking to telecommunications. The discussion helped to show that while strategy is essential to determine a company’s direction, the follow-through to this strategy, with continuous tracking to ensure that the business is on track towards the set strategy is vital.  Additionally, the strategy should not be an end in itself and a good leader should be wise in realising when a strategy needs to be adjusted and, in cases, maybe even abandoned completely.

Commenting on the renewed support for the BLM event, Michael Darmanin, Director Business Services and Marketing at Melita said, “We are proud to support this annual event which attracts hundreds of young and established business leaders. Melita sees itself as a key player in supporting the growth and development of small and larger businesses in Malta and providing solutions that will support and handhold businesses from inception through all the phases of the company’s growth. Therefore this partnership with BLM is a natural one for us. We invest heavily in infrastructure, resources and support to enable business telecommunication needs so that these business leaders don’t have to worry about it and can focus on what they do best – driving their organisation towards success.”

For more information on Melita business services visit http://business.melita.com

International and independent website www.netindex.com has once again confirmed Melita as the fastest internet service provider in Malta. The average speed registered by Melita clients at the end of February 2013, was 22 Megabits per second, which is more than twice as fast as the results achieved by ADSL internet customers during the same period.

Ludolf Rasterhoff, Melita’s Chief Operations Officer.

“We are proud of being confirmed once again fastest internet service provider in Malta. Over the last years we have been consistently investing in our infrastructure locally, and internationally to ensure the fastest speeds and best quality of service for our customers. The technology is complicated, but in the end our customers want it to just work, and work well with the applications they use. That is what we have been consistently delivering”, commented Ludolf Rasterhoff, Chief Operating Officer at Melita.

These results were also confirmed by the latest statistics issued by the Malta communications Authority for Q3 2012, were Melita’s broadband internet subscriber base grew by almost 12% over the previous year. More significantly, 88% of all growth in the Internet market during the same period went to Melita.

Netindex.com is a reliable global performance measurement tool by OOKLA which is also available via the Malta Communications Authority website.

Melita is the only internet provider which offers speeds of up to 100 Megabits nationwide without the need for complex installations.

On an international level Melita is connected to one of only six Tier 1 internet providers in the world – “Level 3” – through a direct link between Malta and Milan. Level 3 is a global provider and provides internet services to global tech giants such as Apple and Netflix.

For more information on Melita’s Fibre Power broadband packages visit www.melita.com

Melita has stepped in to support homeless people in Malta by means of a €10,000 cash donation to fund the YMCA Homeless. 

Melita CEO Andrei Torriani presents a Eur10,000 cash donation to Jean Paul Mifsud, Chairman YMCA Homeless.

In addition, Melita supported YMCA Homeless through a food collection and fundraising event amongst its customers throughout December and January. The collection raised an additional €2000 through SMS donations from Melita clients as well as various food items to be used in the shelters operated by YMCA homeless.

The donation was presented by Melita’s CEO Mr Andrei Torriani to Jean Paul Mifsud, Chairman of the YMCA Homeless.

 “We are very grateful for Melita’s support. Apart from providing free services at our shelters, Melita helped us in raising funds, food and awareness about our cause”, commented Mr Mifsud.

The food collection was organised over the past two months with food collection boxes set up in Melita outlets. Melita also sent promotional leaflets to its customers to raise awareness about this initiative and used a significant amount of airtime on its own TV channels to bolster the campaign.

“The most vulnerable members of any society are the children, families and individuals who find themselves without a place to call home and access to meals. Homelessness may not be very visible in Malta, but it exists and is a challenge across all societies globally facing economic and social challenges. Melita is proud to extend its support and bring visibility to the YMCA’s efforts to address this issue.  Beyond Melita’s financial and communication support, many of our staff contributed their time through participation in and promotion of food and financial donations. We will continue to support the YMCA and extend a thanks to the thousands who contributed to this effort over the holidays”, added Mr Torriani.

Melita is adding “Enlightened” a great new HBO series to its line-up of US hit series on its exclusive channel Melita More (315, 802 and 801 in HD). The critically acclaimed comedy-drama will be airing every Tuesday at 9:15pm starting on Tuesday 19th February, with a repeat on Saturdays at 11:30pm.

Created by Mike White and Laura Dern, this half-hour comedy series centres on Amy Jellicoe (Dern), a well-intentioned employee of a Southern California corporation who, after flipping out and going to anger-management rehab, emerges with a singular, if at times misguided, mission to make her company more responsible.

After presenting her research outlining Abaddonn Industries’ toxic sins — and being laughed out of the room — she strengthened her resolve to expose the company as a polluter and a bastion of corporate greed and corruption. Enlightened joins a host of other great HBO TV series currently showing exclusively on Melita More such as True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Bored to Death and Hung.

Many of these HBO shows along with many other TV favourites are also available for free and on-demand as part of Melita’s Entertainment Pack. Here customers can watch episodes from their favourite TV shows whenever they want at the click of a button on their remote, and of course they can pause, rewind and fast forward at will – to never miss an action of joke!

Melita More is available as part of all Melita digital TV packages L and XL or as part of the M+ packages which also gives you access to more entertainment shows from Sony Entertainment Television and Sony Movie Channel. Melita More is also available in superb High Definition with Melita’s Entertainment Pack.

 Melita invites sports fans to enjoy the great NFL Superbowl show in glorious High Definition. The Super Bowl XLVIII will be broadcast on ESPN America (channel 605) and ESPN America HD (channel 622) on Monday 4^th February 2013 at midnight (between Sunday and Monday.) Watch what is considered by many as the world’s biggest sporting event as it is broadcast live from New Orleans, where the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Baltimore Ravens.

 The 47th edition of the NFL’s showpiece event will feature the NFC Champion 49ers, coached by Jim Harbaugh, taking on the AFC Champion Ravens, coached by John Harbaugh – the older brother of the 49ers head coach.

 ESPN America is available to all Melita TV XL subscribers, and Netbox HD or iBox HD customers can then also watch the High Definition version on ESPN America HD.

The Baltimore Ravens are making only their second appearance in the Super Bowl – their first saw them lift the Vince Lombardi trophy, beating the New York Giants for the 2000 title. The road to the Super Bowl for the Ravens saw them beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Round, knock out the AFC’s  number one seed – Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos – in a dramatic double overtime victory in the Divisional Round, and then earn their conference championship with a 28-13 win over perennial powerhouse New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady. The San Francisco 49ers are making their sixth Super Bowl appearance, and their first since the 1994-95 season. The NFC’s second seed, the 49ers’ journey to New Orleans began with a win over the Green Bay Packers and reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers in the Divisional Round, followed by a defeat of the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons in the Conference Championships – coming from 17 points down to win. In a season where rookie quarterbacks Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson have all burst on to the NFL scene, the 49ers’ second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick has led his team to the Super Bowl after taking over the starting job part way through the season.

ESPN America will also bring viewers all the build up from New Orleans with a special four-hour edition of preview show Sunday NFL Countdown live from New Orleans’ famous French Quarter. ESPN’s award-winning studio programme NFL Live will also be on ESPN America weekdays at 10pm CET each day during the week building up to the game bringing fans the latest developments, news and analysis from ESPN’s experts. NFL Live will also air weekdays at 10pm CET the week following the Super Bowl, covering the aftermath of the game and looking ahead to the offseason.

For more information on Melita’s TV packages and to watch the Superbowl on ESPN America call Melita on 27270270 or visit any of Melita’s outlets or authorised resellers.

It’s time for the great January sales and bargains. Melita Mobile is providing all bargain hunters with an opportunity to get their hands on fantastic 3G smartphones at unbeatable prices.

Melita Mobile is offering a wide range of 3G smartphones for FREE with its hybrid and pay monthly plans starting from just €20 per month. The smartphone sale includes best sellers such as the HTC Wildfire S, Samsung i5500 and the Samsung Galaxy Mini. The Nokia X3-2 is also a great choice for those who want the smartphone experience but are still attached to having a keypad.

All Melita Mobile pay monthly plans and hybrid plans include free calls to all Melita fixed and mobile numbers along with unbeatable call rates or bundles of minutes and SMS to all other operators.

Get your hands on a brand new fantastic smartphone today from just €20 a month. This offer is valid until 28^th February, 2013 or until stock lasts.

For more info visit click here or visit any of Melita retail stores and authorised resellers. 

Melita is supporting YMCA Homeless this Christmas through services, funds and food donations.

Along with giving free Internet and Television services at the various shelters managed by the NGO, Melita is also assisting in the collection of food from its outlets across Malta and Gozo. Melita has set-up dedicated collection boxes at each of its outlets for anyone who wishes to donate preserved foods (like canned fruit and vegetables, corned beef or baby food) to YMCA Homeless.

Moreover Melita will also match financial donations made by the public to YMCA Homeless via SMS up to a value of EUR 10,000. To make a monetary donation, simply send an SMS to 50618088 to donate €4.66 or 50619212 to donate €11.65.

The initiative is aimed at helping people like Jane liver a better life. Jane a forty seven year old woman with two children aged twelve and six, was a victim of Domestic Violence who was thrown out of her home in the early hours of the morning. She had been suffering the abuse for most of her marriage until this incident changed her life. Suddenly with nowhere to go, she headed to the local police station, where she was referred to YMCA Homeless. Jane and her two children lived at the YMCA Homeless Shelter, Dar Niki Cassar for over a year, during which time she initiated separation procedure and through the help of professionals started working towards independence. She was finally awarded an alternative accommodation where she is now living with her two children.

This is just one of many untold and unheard stories of people who have to rely on help by YMCA Homeless.

For more information on how to support YMCA visit www.melita.com

30% growth in Melita Mobile subscribers

The latest telecommunications report by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) for the third quarter of this year shows that Melita has continued its positive growth trend.

Melita’s broadband internet subscriber base grew by almost 12% over the previous year. More significantly, 88% of all growth in the Internet market during the same period went to Melita. Melita is the only internet provider which offers speeds of up to 100 Megabits nationwide without the need for complex installations.

“Melita has invested significantly in its local network as well its international connection to the Internet with the objective of delivering fast and reliable speeds nationwide. These investments are felt by our customers and it is resulting in positive take-up of our products. The results are also showing international speed and quality tests which regularly confirm Melita as the fastest and most reliable internet service provider in Malta”, commented Melita’s CEO, Andrei Torriani.

Just a few weeks ago Melita announced it upgraded its Fibre Power broadband customers to 30 Megabit and 60 Megabit for free. This upgrade followed another upgraded which was done earlier this year placing most of its clients on packages of up to 15 Megabit per second. These upgrades follow on the back of an investment by Melita which connects the company to one of only six Tier 1 internet providers in the world – “Level 3” – through a direct link between Malta and Milan.

The same MCA report shows that Melita Mobile registered a significant 30% growth over the same period last year. With over 65,000 subscribers, Melita Mobile now accounts for 11.8% of the market subscribers. More importantly Melita Mobile subscribers tend to call more and talk longer due to the affordable rates including free calls to other Melita clients. As a result Melita Mobile now accounts for 22% of all mobile call time in Malta.

“Our commitment to offer affordable mobile telephony rates has been clear and consistent since launch. This is recognised by our customers who are growing in numbers each day and switching from other operators to benefit from the great value offered by our plans. We have also invested significantly in the quality of our network based on customer feedback. Our investment plan continues throughout 2013 to ensure that we deliver an experience at par or better than what our competitors offer”, added Mr Torriani.

In fixed telephony business, while the overall market performance showed a declining subscriber base, Melita has actually increased subscribers by almost 11% over the previous year. Customers are opting to switch to a more affordable solution offered by Melita with tariff plans offering free calls to all networks at a fixed monthly price.

Melita has defended its position in the TV market, remaining stable in both subscribers and market share. In the same period more customers have opted to switch to the digital or high definition platform.

“Overall this has been a very good quarter and year for Melita. This is the result of significant investment and support from our shareholders but most importantly the dedication and commitment of all our team members. We have a clear and consistent strategy of delivering more value to our customers. 2013 will see us build further in this direction”, concluded Mr Torriani.

Melita is supporting YMCA Homeless this Christmas through services, funds and food donations. We would like you to help YMCA too with simple donations of preserved food or financial contributions. At every Melita outlet we will be setting up collection boxes where you can make a difference by donating preserves (like canned fruit and vegetables, corned beef or baby food).

For monetary donations, you can send an SMS to 50618088 to donate €4.66 or 50619212 to donate €11.65.

Help people like Jane live a better life!

Jane a forty seven year old woman with two children aged twelve and six, was a victim of Domestic Violence who was thrown out of her home in the early hours of the morning. She had been suffering the abuse for most of her marriage until this incident changed her life. Suddenly with nowhere to go, she headed to the local police station, where she was referred to YMCA Homeless. Jane and her two children lived at the YMCA Homeless Shelter, Dar Niki Cassar for over a year, during which time she initiated separation procedure and through the help of professionals started working towards independence. She was finally awarded an alternative accommodation where she is now living with her two children.

List of Foods

• Pasta sauces
• Tomato sauce
• Polpa
• Milk – long life or canned
• Baby food
• Nappies – all sizes
• Tinned veg (any – corn, peas, beans, mushrooms, ect.)
• Soups
• Noodles
• Baked beans
• Tuna
• Olives
• Oil
• Tea
• Coffee
• Sugar
• Sweets and biscuits
• Juices
• Canned fruit
• Canned ham
• Corned beef

Free viewing of Melita More, Sony Movies and Sony Pictures Television until Sunday 16^th December

Make the best out of your long weekend with free access to some of the best TV entertainment. Until Sunday 16^th December Melita is giving free access to its successful US hit series channel “Melita More” along with two Sony Pictures Television channels to all its Digital and HD customers.

Sony Entertainment Television (Melita Channel 802) offers quality entertainment from engaging comedies and dramas to compelling movies aimed primarily at a female audience and their partners.  Sony Movie Channel (Melita Channel 805) is a new contemporary library movie channel, offering films from the 80s, 90s and 00s. Amongst the great TV series available on Sony Entertainment Television we find titles such as Spooks, Hot in Cleveland and Will & Grace, while during this weekend Sony Movie Channel will be airing classic blockbusters including Matilda, Christmas On Division Street, Universal Soldier: The Return, On Strike For Christmas and Gloria.

Melita More (Channel 801 and Channel 800 in High Definition) is packed all day long with international US hit TV series airing soon after US release. Amongst these we find great titles such as Fringe, The Mentalist, Suits, How I met your mother, Game of Thrones and Gossip Girl. The channel is also full of recent classics such as Private Practice, Grey’s anatomy and Supernatural. If you’re an automotive fanatic make sure you don’t miss Jeremy Clarkson and his team in season 16 of Top Gear.

All these channels are normally available only to the “Plus” package subscribers. Should you wish to keep these channels after Sunday 16^th December simply call Melita on 2727 9977 and for one-time payment of just €30 you get four whole months of great TV entertainment.

For more information and a full program schedule visit www.melita.com

The channels will remain accessible to all customers until Monday 17^th December at 7am

Melita TV has recently added two new channels to its international channel line-up. RAI Scuola (Channel 158) will extend further the relationship with RAI International while RTL (Channel 562) will give a broader access to entertainment programming in the German language.

RAI Scuola, the latest addition part of the RAI International programming is an educational channel broadcasting general knowledge shows, culture programming as well as specialised content on learning and mastering the Italian language. The channel broadcasts on a 24-hour basis and is a joint initiative of RAI together with the Italian Ministry of Education.

On the other hand, RTL addresses and ever-growing German-speaking community in Malta while also making it more entertaining for Maltese people who are learning or want to practice their German.  RTL is a general-interest channel veering anything from Movies to live shows, TV Series as well as news and sports.

Dr. Stefan Sporn, General Manager International Distribution of Media Group RTL Germany: We are delighted about the cooperation with Melita. We are convinced that our channels RTL and RTL II will strengthen and complement the choice of television programs in Malta. With RTL and RTL II joining the network of Melita, the huge number of German-speaking residents, German tourists and all viewers interested in best German Entertainment can enjoy Germany’s extremely popular TV Channels now.”

RAI Scuola will be available to all Digital or HD subscribers, while RTL will be available exclusively to Digital or HD XL subscribers.

For more information on Melita’s TV package or a full line up click here.

As from 3^rd December, The Poker Channel (Melita Channel no 608) and Zone Reality (Melita Channel 308) will be rebranding to the Player Channel and CBS Reality channel respectively.

The Poker Channel broadens its scope of programming to include more sports-betting, casino and games content. Whilst poker will continue to form the core of the Channel’s programming (with the Poker Channel brand continuing as a sub-brand), the Player Channel will feature new shows and series across a range of other gaming and betting genres. These include two new series providing expert betting coverage on the main sporting events of the week – The Punter Show” (24 x 30mins series) and “Best of the Bets” (52 x 30mins series). Best of the Bets” is to being fronted by ex-Sky and Eurosport presenter Christina Nicolaides, and will be filmed at the Player Channel’s studios in Hammersmith every Thursday.

The re-brand, which shall come into effect on the 3^rd December, will also see a change to the Channel’s screen layout. The right hand side of the screen will be dedicated to showing live betting odds on rotation (similar to Sky Sports News), and the bottom of the screen will feature news, competitions and other offers on a 24 x 7 “crawler”. 

Beyond sports-betting the Player Channel will also provide live presenter-led coverage of roulette and blackjack tournaments and games, as well as continuing its popular “Gameshock TV” series, presented by Chris Hewitt (BBC One’s Film 2011; Empire magazine) looking at the latest news, interviews and releases in the computer games industry.

CBS Reality specializes in capturing the extraordinary moments which transform the everyday.  Featuring the longest running daytime USA series, Judge Judy, and multi-award winning 48 Hours, one of the fastest growing networks in UK is now available across the globe. 

As well as featuring staple CBS content, the award winning channel includes fast-paced crime documentary series such as FBI Criminal Pursuit, Nowhere to Run, genealogy series Who Do You think You Are? and the emotionally charged medical doc Baby ER.  All series reflect real life as we know it, marveling at the world on our doorstep, as well as the unusual lives of others. 

CBS has a long and illustrious history in TV production and distribution, with one of the largest entertainment libraries in the world. It’s also a globally recognised and trusted brand with quality at its heart. 

Both channels are available on Melita’s Large and Extra Large TV packages on channel numbers – 308 (CBS Reality) and 608 (Player Channel)

Over the past few weeks, Melita has rolled out a free internet upgrade to around 10,000 clients who are already subscribed to its Fibre Power packages.

Customers on Fibre Power 25 Megabits or Fibre Power 50 Megabits received a free 5 Megabit and 10 Megabit upgrade respectively. The upgrade comes with no strings attached, no new commitments, conditions or additional charges and will last for the remaining duration of existing contracts. Terms and conditions will remain unchanged for the duration of the contract period.

This free upgrade will therefore enhance internet speeds from 25 to 30 Megabits per second and from 50 to 60 Megabits per second.

“Up until about a year ago, the most common internet connection in Malta reached speeds of up to 5 Megabits per second. Today, our minimum entry level bundled speed is 30 Megabits per second. We wanted to thank our Fibre Power customers for their loyalty and why not, this is our Christmas present to 10,000 customers. Our customers will continue to enjoy an internet experience far better than most other European citizens”, commented Ludolf Rasterhoff, Melita’s Chief Operating Officer.

As part of its continuous investment programme, Melita is now connected to one of only six Tier 1 internet providers in the world – “Level 3” – through a direct link between Malta and Milan. Level 3 is a global provider and provides internet services to global tech giants such as Apple and Netflix.

Residential customers are experiencing an improved service particularly when using applications like online multi-player games, video streaming and other applications that require quick or real-time response from different points around the world. Business customers will see improved latency and even lower packet loss results.

 Melita has been confirmed as Malta’s fastest and most reliable internet service provider over and over again by international independent site www.netindex.com. November results show that Melita’s average download speed is higher than 23 Megabits per second. Advertised speeds are delivered in more than 98% of the tests performed.

The Melita Business Duo Pack is Melita’s latest product for business customers, offering high-speed 30 Megabit broadband Internet and unlimited telephony. The new package is aimed at delivering greater value to small businesses and self-employed customers.

Apart from a whopping 30 Megabit download speed, customers opting for the Melita Business Duo Pack get an upgraded upload speed of 3 Megabits, unlimited calls towards all Melita fixed telephony numbers and a huge bundle of 500 minutes to call other local operators. Moreover clients can opt to get a free optional Static IP, which is ideal for business customers running an internet-based CCTV.

“The new products form part of an increased focus on delivering products and support to our business customers. We have recently announced a new website for business customers and a dedicated contact number. Moreover we have assigned dedicated resources on technical support, installation and for servicing this segment. This is a process of evolving the way Melita caters for business needs, and as we get more feedback from our customers we will continue enhancing our offering”, commented Michael Darmanin, Business Services and Marketing director at Melita.

Business customers may also opt to upgrade to the Business Trio Pack by adding mobile to their package. By subscribing to any Melita Mobile pay monthly plan with a subscription fee of at least €20 per month customers will also get additional benefits of up to a 1000 minutes of calls from their fixed line to other local numbers, 2000 minutes of calls toward Melita mobile numbers and a reduced mobile call rate towards other numbers.

For more information call Melita Business on 27273535 or visit http://business.melita.com.

Melita would like to inform all its fixed telephony and mobile customers that it has been requested to provide telephone (fixed and mobile) numbers and contact details to the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) for the purpose of publication of a national printed directory.
 
In line with the company’s policy to protect the privacy of customers’ data, and in line with its data protection obligations, Melita is requesting customers to consent their permission and to verify the  information they would like to have included in the national printed directory.  

Should a customer refuse to have his/her contact details listed in the directory, Melita will not provide the customers’ information for publication.
 
To consent their permission and to verify the information for publication, Melita mobile and fixed telephony customers may visit http://www.melita.com/printeddirectory or any of Melita’s retail outlets.

No action is required from those customers who would not like their contact details published.
 
Customers have until Friday November 30th to notify Melita of their intentions. Replies received until November 30th will be forwarded to MITA for publication in the national printed directory.
 
For more information click here or call our automated service on 27279909

Melita in association with Motiv8 will host Malta’s most requested retro night on the island – Boogie Nights on Saturday 1st December at Bay Arena St’Julians.
 
What started off 3 years ago between a group of close friends, was well attended by 8000 punters in the last event with people of all ages, virtually all dressed up to the theme with afro wigs, make up, platform shoes, bellbottoms and shiny shirts.
 
The Dj’s OwenB and Mahoney collectively known as ‘Gin & Tonic’ made sure the crowd danced their way into the night to the 70’s Funk and Disco sound with the likes of the Bee Gees, Jacksons, Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Cerrone and Abba.
 
DJ Sandro took over the decks later in the night and the crowd went wild with a mix of 70’s rock and upbeat disco tunes. Also performing live on the night were the Zoo crew, the Blues brothers and center stage.
The venue decoration was conformant of the theme of the night with plenty of orange, yellow, green, pink and blue. The elevated stage hosted a chequered dance floor and large displays. On the side, the VIP area featured the Boogie Car where punters had a laugh getting filmed with a rolling background giving the impression of a moving car. All summed up it was a fun night out for all present and a trip down memory lane for those that experienced the original 70’s nightlife.

The next instalment of Boogie Nights will be held on Saturday 1st Dec @ the Bay Arena.

Like us on Facebook for the most up-to-date listings and info: http://www.facebook.com/BoogieNightsMalta
Info: 99955900 or visit our website: www.boogienights.com.mt 

Melita has teamed up with Mellow Drama to give Melita customers the opportunity to win free tickets in a box for four people at the Manoel Theatre to watch the play on the 17^th of November.

Entertainment Pack customers who rent the movie “Legally Blonde 2” from the Movie Rentals section of their OnDemand menu until the 12^th of November enter the chance to win. Renting the movie costs just €1.49 and you can watch it as many times as you want for 48 hours, and of course you can pause, rewind and fast forward just like you do with a DVD.

In the sequel to the blockbuster Legally Blonde, Elle Woods heads to Washington D.C. to join the staff of a congresswoman in order to pass a bill to ban animal testing.

Internationally, the Legally Blonde play is the winner of seven major awards, including a prestigious Olivier for Best Musical. The story follows determined blonde Elle on her journey to win back her love and prove she’s serious. The show is being produced in Malta by Mellow Drama – the company that brought theatre-lovers recent comedy hits including 39 Steps, Keeping Up Appearances and Yes, Prime Minister – so you’re guaranteed an all-singing, all-dancing good time!

For a full catalogue of movies available in the Movie Rentals section of OnDemand visit http://ondemand.melita.com