Perlina TV: An All-Maltese Streaming App For Kids
At Msida Primary School, the Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research, and Innovation, Clifton Grima, together with the Minister for National Heritage, the Arts, and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, launched Perlina TV—an app featuring 100% Maltese-language content aimed at children of various ages.
This initiative introduces an, accessible platform designed to provide children with the same high-quality content available on international streaming services, while also enhancing their exposure to the Maltese language in an engaging and entertaining way.
The app caters to children under ten years old, offering age-specific programming, including animated series, toy-based play, vlogs by children, puppet shows and presenter-led programmes. This project is a collaboration with Sharp Shoot Media.
Minister Grima emphasised that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the Maltese language and encourage children to enjoy content in their native tongue without feeling it is of lesser quality than foreign alternatives.
He highlighted the importance of preserving Maltese, even as children learn other languages, stressing that it remains a vital element of national identity.
The initiative aligns with the National Education Strategy, which includes multiple measures to reinforce Maltese within students’ educational journeys. These include the introduction of digital content in Maltese, the publication and distribution of Maltese books in schools and homes and incentives to encourage reading—such as book fair visits and digital literacy resources.
Minister Bonnici described this as a clear investment in the digital future of the Maltese language, ensuring it maintains visibility among younger generations. He noted that, while other small languages face declining prominence, Malta is actively securing Maltese-language content on digital platforms.
Thanks to funding from the Malta Arts Council, Perlina TV is now available to the public as both an online platform and a mobile app on App Store and Google Play.
The Ministry for Education has also covered a one-year subscription for all state, church and independent schools, making it widely accessible to students across the country.