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 the crowd collapsing at the end of the network’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.

The British pop superstar missed no opportunity to promote his new documentary, Better Man, which came out at a shameless plug midset.

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

‘Some critics are calling it the film of the century! Not my words, just because I just made that up,” he told the crowd.

Robbie then asked if anyone had seen the film yet and explained that it was shot in Australia.

He even changed some of the lyrics to Better Man, singing, “So go watch my movie, it’s full of drugs and sex, I got my own biopic, I’m not even dead.”

The move divided viewers, with many chafing at the fact that ABC – a publicly funded, taxpayer-funded television station – spent a pretty penny on Williams’ performance.

‘Did I pay my tax money for this lazy Robbie Williams set? What the f**k. Also PR for a film during a set?!’ wrote one person on X.

“Robbie Williams is busy posing and 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 went down the fucking drain watching this washed up clown,” said another.

“And as we started the new year with Robbie Williams showing off his new film in white trousers and now covering John Farnham’s You’re the Voice, introducing it as the national anthem,” another agreed.

‘We only get 25-30 minutes from Robbie Williams. How much and who pays??’ said someone else.

“Taxpayer funding Robbie Williams is a strange way to end and begin. Absolutely f**ked,” said another.

“Damn, how could ABC afford Robbie Williams,” wondered one viewer at home.

“Robbie Williams doesn’t give a f@#$ Aussie losers who pay their tax money to this filthy TV station,” but another one came.

‘The ABC, a non-commercial network that promotes Robbie Williams’ new film for 15 minutes just before his appearance. But you can’t refer to the SFS as the Allianz Stadium or mention a specific brand of any kind during a broadcast because it’s supposed to remain neutral,” one viewer argued.

Others praised the megastar’s stellar performance and didn’t mind the plug.

“Imagine being so down on New Year’s Eve that you get offended when Robbie Williams plugs his movie shot and directed by Australians,” wrote one.

“Robbie Williams saved the ABC,” said another, while someone else posted: “Robbie Williams saves our big event again.”

“Nobody entertains better than Robbie Williams – NO ONE,” declared another fan.

Robbie started his set earlier with a stirring rendition of his huge hit Let Me Entertain You before dancing into a cover of Land Of A Thousand.

There was a glitch at the start of his next song, Me And My Monkey, with Robbie missing his cue and blaming his band, but Feel went off without a hitch.

Robbie completed the set with Rock DJ, a cover of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice and his hit single Angels, before an excited countdown to the epic midnight fireworks display on Sydney Harbour.

Williams is said to have undergone weeks of secret negotiations before being officially signed on as the face of Australia’s New Year’s Eve festivities.

Robbie described the performance as the ‘perfect’ way to end the year after his new biopic, Better Man, was filmed in Melbourne with the help of Australian director Michael Gracey.

In a statement released by the ABC confirming his appearance, Robbie said: “I love and adore Australia and the fireworks in Sydney are truly magical.

“Bringing in the new year in the country where my biopic, Better Man, was filmed will be the perfect end to 2024 and the ideal beginning to 2025.

“I can’t wait to perform and celebrate with my amazing Australian fans.”

The former Take That star recently reconnected with his love for Australia after filming his upcoming biopic Better Man in Melbourne.

Robbie’s musical biopic received critical acclaim following its release on Christmas Day in the US and its Boxing Day premiere in Australia and the UK.

The semi-biographical film follows the singer’s meteoric rise as a member of Take That and subsequent dramatic fall, as he battled his personal demons and the challenges that success can bring.

But in a twist on the genre, the film portrays the 50-year-old pop star as a chimpanzee while everyone else appears in human form, with Jonno Davies recreating the movements via motion capture technology and Robbie doing most of the voice work.

And while critics labeled the decision a “big risk” and possibly “stupid gamble,” they declared it ultimately a genius choice and “one of the most inspired casting pieces of the year.”

In his four-star review for Roger Egbert.com, Clint Worthington said the chimpanzee gimmick was a “clever move” that allowed Robbie to “vulnerably share his lows while underplaying the splendor of his highs.”

He added, “You won’t see another music biopic quite like ‘Better Man,’ regardless of your level of familiarity with the subject matter. There’s an excess of charm here that helps sell the nonsensical gimmick.’