Robbie Williams uses headline gig on ABC New Year’s Eve coverage to shamelessly plug his new movie – and angry viewers are left asking who is footing the bill for the performance

Robbie Williams divided ABC viewers on Sunday night, despite bringing down the house at the tail end of the network’s New Year’s Eve broadcast. 

The British pop superstar spared no opportunity to promote his new documentary, Better Man, launching into a shameless plug mid-set.  

It was before his performance of Better Man that Robbie gave a rave review to his own movie of same name. 

‘Some critics are calling it the movie of the century! Not my words, except they are because I just made that up’ he said to the crowd. 

Robbie then asked if anyone had seen the movie as yet, and explained it had been filmed in Australia. 

He even changed some of the lyrics to Better Man, and sang, ‘so go watch my movie, it’s full of drugs and sex, I’ve got my own biopic, I’m not even dead’. 

The move divided viewers, with many annoyed that the ABC – a government owned, tax payer funded television station – was spending a pretty penny on Williams performance.

‘Did my tax dollars pay for this lazy Robbie Williams set? What the f**k. PR for a movie during a set as well?!’ wrote one person on X. 

‘Robbie Williams is busy posing & promoting himself, how about singing a song’ added another alongside a thumbs down emoji. 

‘Your tax dollars hard at work with this Robbie Williams performance’ posted another. 

‘Robbie Williams on @ABCTV is a new low for this country. Our tax dollars down the f**king drain watching this washed up clown’ said one more. 

‘And seeing the new year in with Robbie Williams spruiking his new movie in white pants and now covering John Farnham’s You’re the voice, introducing it as the national anthem’ another agreed.

‘We’re gonna get just 25-30 minutes of Robbie Williams. How much and who’s paying??’ said someone else. 

‘The taxpayers funding Robbie Williams is an odd way to end and start. Absolutely f**ked’ said one more.

‘Damn how did ABC afford Robbie Williams’ questioned a viewer tuning in at home.  

Others heaped praise on the stellar performance and didn’t mind the plug. 

‘Imagine being so sooky on New Year’s Eve that you get offended about Robbie Williams plugging his movie that was shot and directed by Australians’ wrote one. 

‘Robbie Williams don’t give a F@#$ Aussie sucker’s paying their tax dollars to this s**t TV station’ yet one more chimed in. 

‘The ABC, a non commercial network running 15 minute promotion for Robbie Williams new movie just before he comes on to perform. But you can’t refer to the SFS as Allianz stadium or mention any specific brand of any sort during a broadcast because it is supposed to remain neutral’ argued one viewer.  

‘Robbie Williams has saved the ABC’ said another, with someone else posting, ‘Robbie Williams saves our big event once again’. 

‘No one entertains better than Robbie Williams – NO ONE’ declared yet another fan. 

Robbie earlier began his set with the rousing rendition of his massive hit Let Me Entertain You before a cover of Land Of A Thousand dances.

There was a snag at the start of his next tune, Me And My Monkey, with Robbie missing his cue and blaming his band, but Feel went off flawlessly. 

Robbie completed the set with Rock DJ, cover of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice and Angels.