Waste agency spends €65,000 on MasterChef

WasteServ awarded a €65,000 direct advertising contract covering MasterChef Malta and Tipping Point, adding another source of public money to programmes produced by Greatt, whose productions have also qualified for lucrative Film Commission rebates.

The government waste management company, which falls under Minister Miriam Dalli and is led by chief executive Richard Bilocca, awarded the contract on 19 December 2025.

Published in the Government Gazette, the entry describes advertising and product placement during MasterChef season three and Tipping Point. The named contractor is Mediahut Solutions Ltd, a sister company of Greatt, owned by Anton Attard and Mark Grech.

The €65,000 value excludes VAT. Although awarded last year, the notice does not establish when payment was made or when all the advertising was broadcast.

TV producers who spoke to The Shift questioned why WasteServ had allocated such a substantial advertising package to two programmes from the same production house while other local programmes struggled to attract support.

They argued that the spending compounded an imbalance because Greatt’s productions already benefited from controversial access to taxpayer-backed incentives.

Greatt is owned by Anton Attard, the former NET TV chief and PBS chief executive, and Mark Grech, known as “il-Guru” and former PN activist. Its portfolio includes MasterChef, X Factor, Big Brother and other franchise television formats adapted for Malta.

The Shift reported in July 2025 that Greatt was in line for approximately €2.8 million in Film Commission rebates, pending final authorisation, in addition to around €300,000 already disbursed for The Voice Kids and Malta’s Got Talent.

The company’s relationship with Film Commissioner Johann Grech and key Labour officials extends beyond television subsidies.

The Shift also reported that Greatt received the event-management contract for his 2025 Golden Bee Awards gala worth millions. The same happened this year.

The television rebates became available under revised rules introduced by Grech, extending support to local reality productions through a scheme originally intended to attract foreign filmmaking and support the audiovisual industry. The government never explained why rebates are being used for local TV audiences with no benefit to the Maltese economy.

The same WasteServ disclosure lists a separate €60,000 advertising package awarded to Labour’s ONE TV and another €16,000 direct order, awarded on 28 November 2025 to Joseph Chetcuti, covering advertising during Brillanti 2026, broadcast on ONE.

Together, the three advertising contracts amount to €141,000, excluding VAT.