Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1503087
RIGHT upfront I am going to start with a disclaimer: I didn't watch a single episode of Love Island Malta. I hasten to add that I'm not saying this in a judgmental way (after all, to each his own), but just to point out that even without watching it, I could tell it was a hit. What has intrigued me from the beginning is that this reali- ty show immediately became a pop culture phenomenon and when something like this hap- pens, it interests me immense- ly from a sociological point of view. So, while, admittedly, I don't know every twist and turn among the couples over the last six weeks, Love Island was always at the periphery of my consciousness. With regular frequency, dai- ly posts about it were coming up on my newsfeed and I could basically get the gist of what was going on, helped along by the jokes and memes, some of which were very clever. Even when socialising, talk would inevitably turn to Love Island, and I can safely say that prac- tically everyone I know was watching it. I was therefore not surprised by the statistics: • Over 170,000 people in Malta & Gozo alone watched Love Island Mal- ta • 93% of the population between the age of 16-25 watched it • 44% of the people who do not normally watch Mal- tese television, chose to watch it • the finale was watched by 239,000 viewers, breaking every record in the histo- ry of Maltese television Now, it is easy to view these figures and conclude, as many have done, that if this is what the majority of people prefer to watch then, "as a society, we're doomed". It is very tempting to join in this chorus when one is only assessing the programme in a cursory way; but those kind of ratings cannot be simply dismissed so high-handedly, so perhaps we need to look at them in another light. Some of the numbers are easy to explain - it is to be expected that, since the programme fea- tured 20-somethings, the per- centage of those who tuned in from the younger age bracket would be high. It is human na- ture for viewers to be drawn to people on TV with whom they can identify. This could also be seen by those who went to meet the couples in person during a promotional event, once they left the villa - from those inter- viewed it was clear that a type of symbiosis had taken place, irrespective of gender. The fans could easily relate to these "ordinary people" who were on the show who had now become quasi "celebrities", at least within Malta's context. Gen Z, which has grown up with social media and dating apps, felt an instant connec- tion with the guys and girls in the villa. It was not just the younger generation who were obsessed with the show however… whether young or middle-aged, everyone seemed to be watch- ing it for a variety of reasons. Some told me it was their guilty pleasure; an easy going and relaxing show to unwind after a day's work, others en- joyed the entertainment factor as they could laugh at the an- tics and phrases of the partic- ipants which instantly became catchphrases ("Relax Bello" and "bombshell" have entered the vernacular). Granted, in some cases, peo- ple were watching it to make fun and ridicule the partici- pants which is, unfortunately, inevitable. Still others liked the gossip element as they tried to guess who would end up with whom among the couples. An- other aspect was also pointed out to me by a viewer: since "everybody was watching it" they didn't want to feel left out when they went to work the next day and not know what their colleagues were talking about. The FOMO element - wheth- er it is going to the latest trendy place or watching "must see TV" - is alive and real. This last point is especial- ly significant in an age when so much can be streamed and binge-watched at one go. Re- member the days when we would wait patiently for our fa- vourite show on a certain night of the week, and it would be- come a so-called 'water cooler' topic the next day? Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, Sex & the City, Grey's Anatomy, The Sopranos. It was a collective viewing experience which has been diluted some- what thanks to the arrival of Netflix and a plethora of other streaming platforms, because now we can watch anything, anywhere, any time on any de- vice, and we don't even need to be at home to do so. With live programming, such as Love Island Malta, however, you have no choice but to wait, and the fact that everyone was watching the same episode at the same time gave it a cer- tain edge. Even though some people watched it the next day on demand, the immediacy of watching it live caught on. A community was created as the weeks went by, and the simultaneous watching of the show gathered momentum. This is why I found the figure of 44% of those who do not nor- mally watch Maltese television highly fascinating. I can vouch for this because I know people who would roll their eyes and tell you "never" if you ask them whether they ever watch local channels… and yet here they were, cheerfully admitting that they were hooked on Love Is- land Malta. Both from a psychological standpoint and as a media phenomenon, this points to a number of factors about what viewers want from local pro- gramming: more light enter- tainment, shows which are in our language (even if it is of- ten a mishmash of English and Maltese which is how so many people speak) and a concept which deals with human be- haviour and people's relation- ships. Now, I am not saying that we need more reality shows - but certainly there is an argument to be made for giving viewers something other than dreary, kitchen sink drama (although those shows too have their au- diences). If we look back over recent years, the most popular shows, such as X Factor, invariably re- volved around light entertain- ment. There is nothing wrong with that - watching TV is usu- ally about the need for escap- ism. Above all, it is clear that lo- cal TV productions need to be more relatable to the Malta we live in today and I think that is why Love Island Malta had that kind of record-breaking view- ership. Whether it was young peo- ple who could see themselves in the young couples who were literally speaking their language, or parents of young adults and teenagers whose eyes were opened (for better or worse) to the dynamics of to- day's relationships. On some level, it "spoke" to them, and that is the whole aim of making a watchable TV show - to harness those attrib- utes which make for compul- sive viewing. There are many ways to tick all these boxes without going down the reality show route; in any case, Love Island Malta was a tried and trusted fran- chise so the format was already there and we should not have to keep relying on franchises. We need creative outside of the box thinking by TV pro- ducers who can come up with shows which are a reflection of what we see around us. Too often when I zap through lo- cal stations, it is as if they are stuck in a time warp and are completely cut off from today's society. I am sure that if enough of the right people were entrusted with a decent budget to create good original TV program- ming, which is tailor-made for Maltese audiences, they could tap into a wider viewership. They might not achieve the dizzying heights and the buzz generated by Love Island Mal- ta, but they could start to win back viewers who have given up on watching good enter- tainment on local channels. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JULY 2023 OPINION 5 It is clear that local TV productions need to be more relatable to the Malta we live in today and I think that is why Love Island Malta had that kind of record-breaking viewership Understanding the Love Island Malta phenomenon Josanne Cassar