Video: Watch Conor McGregor’s Budweiser ad that was banned by RTE in Ireland

This Budweiser ad featuring UFC champ Conor McGregor has been banned by Ireland’s national TV network, RTE.

Conor McGregor was featured in Budweiser’s latest advertisement, where he walks the streets of Ireland and the US, while giving a motivational speech about following your dreams.

“Never give up on your dream. Be your own inspiration. A beacon of self belief. Keep proving others wrong,” he said. “If your dream doesn’t scare you, then it’s not big enough. So dream as big as you dare.”

While it seems harmless enough, the commercial wasn’t allowed to air by RTE. According to the National TV network, the reason for the ban was that the ad could encourage the youth to drink. They cited advertising guidelines that “heroes of the young” shouldn’t market alcohol, and that the popular UFC champion falls under that category.

“RTE believes it took the correct and prudent course of action in not approving the commercials for broadcast on its television services,” the station’s head of operations for commercial services told The Sunday Business Post.

Budweiser has since defended their stance, saying that they had the ad approved by the alcohol industry’s pre-vetting service, CopyClear. McGregor also isn’t seen holding or drinking any beverage on the 40-second clip.

Seen below is a behind the scenes look at the ad, where they explained the background and the message they were trying to send with their ‘Dream Big’ campaign.

“What it would mean to see this advert on TV is me showing people from around my way, from where I came from, that they can go and do it too.” McGregor said.

The ad was released online earlier this month, and as of this writing, has over 630,000 views.

This Budweiser ad featuring UFC champ Conor McGregor has been banned by Ireland’s national TV network, RTE.

Conor McGregor was featured in Budweiser’s latest advertisement, where he walks the streets of Ireland and the US, while giving a motivational speech about following your dreams.

“Never give up on your dream. Be your own inspiration. A beacon of self belief. Keep proving others wrong,” he said. “If your dream doesn’t scare you, then it’s not big enough. So dream as big as you dare.”

While it seems harmless enough, the commercial wasn’t allowed to air by RTE. According to the National TV network, the reason for the ban was that the ad could encourage the youth to drink. They cited advertising guidelines that “heroes of the young” shouldn’t market alcohol, and that the popular UFC champion falls under that category.

“RTE believes it took the correct and prudent course of action in not approving the commercials for broadcast on its television services,” the station’s head of operations for commercial services told The Sunday Business Post.

Budweiser has since defended their stance, saying that they had the ad approved by the alcohol industry’s pre-vetting service, CopyClear. McGregor also isn’t seen holding or drinking any beverage on the 40-second clip.

Seen below is a behind the scenes look at the ad, where they explained the background and the message they were trying to send with their ‘Dream Big’ campaign.

“What it would mean to see this advert on TV is me showing people from around my way, from where I came from, that they can go and do it too.” McGregor said.

The ad was released online earlier this month, and as of this writing, has over 630,000 views.