GetUp claims Nine is refusing to play its ad attacking Woolworths over pokie machines
Campaign group GetUp has accused the Nine Network of putting “profits over the health and safety of Australian families” after refusing to air its latest ad targeting supermarket giant Woolworths’ pokie machine ownership.
The group has been crowd-funding to get the ad, which pastiches Woolies Christmas campaign using families to show the impact poker machine addiction can have on people, shown on TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maH1ELpwSHU
However the group is claiming Nine is refusing to play the ad and has cited its commercial relationship with Woolies, which is one of the country’s largest advertisers, as the reason.
Natalie O’Brien, a senior campaigner at GetUp, accused Nine and Woolworths of “banding together” in a statement.
She added:“We made an ad to highlight the damage being wreaked by Woolworths-owned poker machines, because most people simply don’t realise that Woolies is Australia’s largest owner of poker machines. Now, thanks to Channel Nine, Australians might never know the truth.
“Once again Woolworths uses their market power to the detriment of Australians, but this time they’re using it to shut down the truth.
“Channel Nine won’t run the ad because they want Woolworths’ money from adverts – they actually told us as much. Channel Nine, like Woolworths, are putting profits over the health and safety of Australian families.”
The ad is part of GetUp’s ongoing campaign to get more controls on poker machines to stop people becoming addicted to them, including a petition signed by 51,000 people.
In 2012 the group had another ad on the same topic banned by all the TV networks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z00v00L3I5Q
“We don’t have the kind of big money that paralyses TV networks, but we do have people power,” added O’Brien. “We’re working right now to lock in ad spots on other networks and in local cinemas.”
Peter Wiltshire chief revenue officer of Nine said in a statement: “Woolworths are a key business partner of ours and we don’t treat our partners with contempt by playing such material. This does not mean we are pro poker machines.”
Woolworths has been approached for comment.
Nine are a business, Get Up are pests. Pretty simple.
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If Nine was just a business they would be interested in making money from anyone. Even pests. Pretty simple.
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I wonder how many Channel 9 shareholders (or CVC) also have shares relating to pokies?
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Fair enough by Nine. If they run this, imagine all the crackpots lining up for them to air all their flavour of the week causes.
If Get Up REALLY care and aren’t just a bunch of SJW’s, then target everyone, not just Woolworths.
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About six years ago I was invited to dinner by friends to the CLub Hotel in Ferntree Gully vic. I was astonished when told that all three pubs in Ferntree Gully were owned by Woolworths and all three pubs were huge poker machine venues. So many local people have lost so much money that they cannot afford to by food at the f/gully Woolworths. I would be pleased to see Woolworths the Poker Machine People be taken to task for the destruction the they have caused to families in our area.
A loss to a family is just another gain to Woolworths.
They are a low company and any one who has shares in Woolworths should get out while you still have a soul.
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AHL stands for A Horrible Lie in my opinion. Having gambled in AHL pokie dens across australia I became a alcoholic and gambling addict thanks to non existence rsg and care factor of zero. Kicked out on the streets at 2.30 am, drunk , broke and unsafe. Maybe getup should show live footage outside AHL pubs across Australia at this time of night. Not once in 3 years did a AHL staff member offer gambling assistance which may have helped. I will never know. Thanks Woolworths for creating mini casinos across suburbia that takes money out of the local area and small business and leave a pub , a servo and pokie den left standing all owned in part by the fresh addiction people.
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