Nine catches eye of watchdog for gambling ads on streaming service 9Now
Gambling advertisements played on broadcast video on demand (BVOD) platform 9Now during the 2019 NRL State of Origin have put the broadcaster in hot water with the industry watchdog and may result in penalties of up to $420,000 if action isn’t taken by Nine.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has ruled Nine breached gambling advertising rules with the ads and will need to prove it has trained its staff on the rules or else be liable to pay the penalties.
Nine aired the State of Origin across its broadcast channels and BVOD
An ACMA investigation has found Nine aired gambling ads during the pre-game programming for State of Origin Games one and two on the platform, breaching gambling advertising rules which restrict gambling ads five minutes before kick-off if the broadcaster lets viewers know when the game starts at least 24 hours in advance.
In this case, Nine did not do this, so the rules applied five minutes before the pre-game coverage.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the rules prohibit all gambling advertising during live sport streamed online between 5:00 am and 8:30 pm.
“I hope this sends a message to all streaming services that this is something they need to get right,” O’Loughlin said.
“One of the reasons these rules are in place is to allow families to watch live sport without exposing children to gambling.”
The ACMA has instructed Nine to conduct staff training on the rules for gambling advertising on online platforms and to submit two written reports showing compliance with the rules over the next 12 months.
If Nine does not comply with the direction, the ACMA may seek penalties of up to $420,000.
Nine declined to comment on the ruling.
Im confused – they know the rules, pay the fine.. simple.
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Can you imagine how hard these guys would be coming after Facebook/Google if they did the same?
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