It’s reasonable to assume that fewer and fewer ideas these days are truly original. Every so often, however, we run across promos and sequences that look eerily familiar. Seems to be the case with new controversy brewing over a recent promo from Australia’s Channel Nine. Here’s a look at the spots, see lower for a side by side comparison, you decide.
Nine’s spot for Rescue Special Ops looks to draw some eye-opening similarities from a Bear Grylls promo from Discovery UK. The response from a Channel Nine spokesman: the Discovery ad was an “inspiration, but we featured our cast, of course. The style suited the show.”
Sources tell me that the spot was developed in-house, however we don’t have any further comment or clarification from Nine since the last official statement on the matter. So what are your thoughts? Where is the line drawn between inspired by and copied?
Oh and also as David Knox pointed out last year, is it me or does this Battlestar Gallactica Promo from 2005 look familiar? Yeah, that’s a promo for Underbelly that ran on Nine in 2009.
Seems obvious, but not sure what the folks at Nine were thinking unless this was done by an out of house agency and they were just not aware.
Although their response is pretty telling (and disappointing).
Good topic of discussion. I fear this happens far more often than we realize. Particularly lifting of ideas across different territories where it is less likely to be noticed.
Wow. That is a complete rip-off. Shame, shame.
Complete Rip off, I would sue
The Bear Grylls promo does look like a promo for Seven Feet Under seasion 4 or 5.. Instead they were jumping between buildings.. Nine obviously has no imagination and when you notice this or tutorial rip offs it just goes to show how crap they really are.
sigh. they could have at least tried different shots and texture but it was a total carbon copy. oh my.