Ofcom have today ruled that ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent breached rule 2.14, which states that broadcasters must ensure viewers aren't 'materially misled' about voting.
A total of 1,175 viewers complained after it was revealed that stunt dog Chase had walked the winning tightrope act, which secured Jules O'Dwyer's £250,000 win for double act dogs Matisse and Jules this year.
O’Dwyer narrowly won the public vote, in which 4.5m votes were cast via the BGT app for free, or by landline or mobile at 50p.
Speaking about their ruling, an Ofcom spokesman said:
“After a detailed investigation, we found ITV broke broadcasting rules by misleading viewers during the series finale.
“We accepted ITV had no intention to deceive the audience. However, the presentation of the act did not make clear to viewers that a central part was performed by a second dog”.
Following the ruling ITV have offered viewers who voted for O'Dwyer a refund, explaining in a statement:
“There was never any intention to mislead viewers”
“The majority of votes cast for Jules’ act were received through the free voting app.
"However, we accept that some viewers who voted for the winning act by a paid voting route may wish to seek a refund, or that the cost of their vote be donated in full to the Royal Variety charity."