Channel Seven has issued a public apology for interrupting a performance of The Last Post, which honours fallen ANZAC soldiers, with an ad break for its popular cooking show My Kitchen Rules.

Approximately 20 seconds of the pre-recorded bugle call by a uniformed soldier went to air before the first bounce of the Melbourne v Richmond ANZAC Day eve match on Sunday night, but the remainder of the call was broken into by an ad break, sparking anger among many viewers.

After the game, a network presenter issued a “full apology, an unreserved apology from everyone at Seven” for the “poor job”.

ABC presenter Michael Rowland tweeted “Not a good look …” while another viewer suggested “Ads more important for Ch7.”

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Word of the reaction made it to the producers, who instructed the hosts to issue an apology at the end of the broadcast.

“Tonight there was a ceremony at the MCG that started before we came on air. It started at 6:41 and finished at 7. We came on at 7 and showed an edited package of that ceremony and did a poor job of it,” the presenter said.

Unbelievably disrespectful. @7AFL interrupted The Last Post to go to a commercial. pic.twitter.com/RcP2wQR4DX

— Rhett Bartlett (@rhettrospective) April 24, 2016

“We didn’t show The Last Post in full. It is not something we are proud of. We are very disappointed with the way it went to air.

“I understand that you will look at us of doing a poor job tonight, and we hope it doesn’t happen again.

“To reiterate, the edited package that went to air wasn’t up-to-date. Again, a full apology, an unreserved apology from everyone at Seven.”

Two Melbourne journalists, Rhett Bartlett and Mark Robinson, as well as former AFL stars drew attention to the error soon after it went to air.

“Unbelievably disrespectful. @7AFL interrupted The Last Post to go to a commercial,” Bartlett posted on Twitter.

“An actual human being, made a conscious decision, to press a button, to interrupt The Last Post,” he wrote minutes later in response to a question.

“Spot on Rhett,” journalist Mark Robinson wrote.

He was supported by former AFL player Brendan Fevola, who wrote on Twitter: “Respect is needed.”

The AFL clash, won by the Melbourne Demons, was also not without controversy, with the contest boiling over into an all-in melee at quarter time when Richmond Tigers players intruded into the Demons’ huddle.

The Demons defeated the Tigers 129 points to 96.