- Advertisement -

Channel 9 accused of ‘fake news’ segment

- Advertisement -

Latest

- Advertisement -

Share

Confusion reigns as a commercial is dressed up to look like content during the TODAY show.

*The following is a reproduction of a column written for INSIDE MEDIA on the 7NEWS website

If you’ve been watching the TODAY show recently on Channel 9, you might be confused as to why retired tennis champ Andy Murray is featuring in the Nine branded traffic updates being chased by Uber Eats delivery people.

- Advertisement -


It turns out the traffic update is nothing more than a paid commercial.

The bizarre integration uses the well-established Nine Traffic Network (NTN) branding to fool viewers into thinking it is one of the regular NTN traffic updates usually seen throughout the morning each day on Nine’s breakfast show.

A real traffic report at the top and the paid commercial for Uber Eats at the bottom

The spots feature usual traffic presenter Marina Ivanovic, the NTN branding and the same background used during the regular traffic updates.

The one concession seems to be the removal of the words NINE TRAFFIC NETWORK from the opening graphic, but the NTN logo with the nine dots remains.

A slight alteration has been made to the opening NTN graphic, removing the words NINE’S TRAFFIC NETWORK Credit: NINE

You can see the entire commercial in the video player below.

“Hello, Marina Ivanovic with Nine’s traffic network” the spot begins.

“There were delays across Melbourne after two Uber Eats delivery people were seen chasing retired tennis star Andy Murray near the city’s South East” the presenter continues as vision shows a chopper shot of Murray being chased.

- Advertisement -


“More as the situation unfolds”.

A graphic on the screen reinforces the script saying: TRAFFIC DELAYS CLEARING IN THE CITY’S SOUTH EAST.

Confusing viewers even further is a graphic saying TRAFFIC DELAYS CLEARING IN THE CITY’S SOUTH EAST Credit: NINE

An Uber Eats logo sits on the left with the words “Proud Sponsor” underneath.

The traffic ‘update’ is then followed by an Uber Eats commercial that sets up the ‘chase’ which has just been ‘reported’.

In over 30 years in the television industry, I have never seen anything that so blatantly crosses the line between a report and a commercial.

As the founding Executive Producer of Studio 10 commercial integration was a core part of the business and I pushed integration possibilities as far as I could, so I write this as someone who understands the commercial reality of television, but care must be shown around news-based programming.

“The 15-second ad is a paid spot clearly positioned within commercial breaks and is an obvious integration of Uber Eats within an Australian Open context continuing the Andy Murray story arc. Nine’s other programs including Married at First Sight is also included within the integration” a Nine spokesperson told INSIDE MEDIA.

- Advertisement -


I think there’s a big difference between Married at First Sight and news-based updates.

Despite Nine’s protests that viewers would ultimately realise this is a commercial, the fact is the network has crossed the line between news and commercialisation. While the traffic updates do not fall under the Nine News branding and are always sponsored, this fools the viewer into thinking they are being given real information and therefore fooling the audience into paying attention.

When I first saw the spot in Queensland, my immediate reaction was they had run the wrong version as it has a MELBOURNE graphic and the report related to traffic conditions in Melbourne. The use of a chopper shot to show Murray being chased led to more confusion until I finally realised I was watching a commercial.

The fact it took ME so long to understand the true nature of this spot is proof a line has been crossed.

About 15 years ago when I was working at Nine the news director and myself played with the idea of integrating sponsor logos onto the news set in the screens coming out of a commercial break with vo saying “Nine News is brought to you by [INSERT COMPANY]”. We saw it as a way of generating extra revenue.

The sales director at the time refused to sell the idea to advertisers as he felt the news was sacred and that was crossing a line.

While I disagreed with his decision, I did respect it.

Fast forward to 2025 and it seems all bets are off. There’s no doubt the media industry needs to bring in as much revenue as possible and smart ideas should be welcomed, but this one is a bridge too far.

While some might think I’m being hysterical on this one, I stand by it. It takes a lot for me to arc up about paid integration, but this is inappropriate and is brand damaging to Nine.

You can read the rest of INSIDE MEDIA on the 7NEWS website

- Advertisement -


Know more about this or another Australian media story?

Call/Text 0428 275 111 or use the contact button below.

Robert McKnight
Robert McKnighthttps://tvblackbox.com.au/robert-mcknight/
"Leading TV commentator" - The Daily Telegraph | "Known for his impeccable sources in the TV industry" - The Daily Mail | "Always first with the correct info" - Beau Ryan | Robert McKnight is a highly regarded Australian Television Producer having worked at SEVEN, NINE and TEN during his 30 years in the industry. Currently Rob can be seen every fortnight on THE MORNING SHOW (7) and heard on NIGHTS WITH JOHN STANLEY (2GB/4BC). He is also Content Specialist for 7NEWS
Comments

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here
Captcha verification failed!
CAPTCHA user score failed. Please contact us!

Join or social media

- Advertisement -

Latest Stories

Advertisement