KEY POINTS:
A light tale of Christmas morality was interspersed with the quote "kill your best friend or die" on TV2 on Monday, in an apparent clash of messages between programming and advertising.
The Herald understands an advertisement for video game Grand Theft Auto 4 featuring the bizarre quote was played twice during the movie The Santa Clause 2, which began at 7.30pm.
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.
Under broadcasting codes, television channels do not show adult-oriented material until after 8.30pm.
Ms Richards said that as far as she was aware no one had complained to the broadcaster.
Viewer Brian Greenough said he was disgusted to see the ad with the "kill your best friend" quote twice during a children's movie.
In The Santa Clause 2, Santa (Tim Allen) tries to save Christmas from a stand-in Claus who has mixed up the concepts of naughty and nice.
