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Network airs GTA IV ads during children's programming

The holiday season is that magical time of year when families take time off to gather and celebrate together, as well as give thanks for all the blessings that have come their way over the past year. It's also the time of year when a slew of kids' movies air practically around the clock on the various TV networks, which means that children have the option of staying up late in order to get into the holiday spirit. However, a TV station in New Zealand has come under for fire because it aired two ads for Grant Theft Auto IV during just such a broadcast.

According to the New Zealand Herald, a violent advertisement for the game featuring the catchphrase, "kill your best friend or die," appeared twice during an airing of The Santa Clause 2 last night. The ad itself actually doesn't use that as a tagline; instead, it's just a quote from one of the game's many cutscenes, but TV2 (the network in hot water) isn't denying that it aired: "TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said it was understandable parents might have decided to let their children stay up to watch the G-rated movie—which ran until 9.35pm. But she said advertisements for the R18 game technically ran at the correct time, after the 8.30pm watershed."

This is one of those cases where the network definitely should have thought things out, seeing as how it seems like a no-brainer to keep ads for violent video games separate from family movies. The Herald revealed that no one has officially complained about the ad's appearance to the network, but, it seems safe to say that it's only a matter of time before someone does.