Lara Sinclair | The Australian

Yesterday a TV commercial for cheaters' dating website Ashleymadison.com generated a flood of complaints after it screened on Sunday night during the hit crime drama Underbelly.

Unlike the show, of which nudity and violence are hallmarks, the commercial showed relatively chaste images of a man and a woman about to have sex.

They were accompanied by the words, "This couple is married. But not to each other", and the company's slogan, "Life is short. Have an affair".

More than 20 complaints were received yesterday by the advertising watchdog, which said it would examine whether the ad contravened acceptable community social values by encouraging infidelity. A judgment is expected in the next couple of weeks.

A spokeswoman for the Nine Network said the ad had been approved by the classification division of industry body Free TV Australia. "It's a legal business and it's an ad that was approved, and the ad was put to air in the appropriate time slot," the spokeswoman said. "It ran after 9pm. It's a moral issue for each individual."

Ashleymadison.com, which launched in Canada in 2001, and in Australia in April, already claims more than 40,000 Australian users.

The company's founder, Noel Biderman, flagged a marketing campaign that would include billboards, television and online advertising. If its ads are found to breach community standards the company will be asked to withdraw its advertising.