Kerry Packer didn't believe Schapelle Corby was innocent even though his TV network became a "cheerleader" for the convicted drug smuggler's innocence, according to a media report.
Uniting Church pastor Tim Costello has told Fairfax media he had asked the dying mogul in 2005 if he thought Corby was guilty.
"And Kerry said `yes, I think she is'," Costello says in the report on Monday.
"I remember saying, `But Nine is the cheerleader for her innocence. And Kerry told me that this was how current affairs TV works - the audience was totally convinced of her innocence and so the network goes with what the public feels passionate about."
Nine aired its much awaited telemovie Schapelle on Sunday night, a day earlier than originally scheduled, after she was granted parole on Friday.
If prison bosses receive the necessary paperwork by Monday morning, the Australian could leave in the afternoon.
The drama about the arrest, trial and conviction of Corby, stars Krew Boylan as the former beauty school student who was sentenced to 20 years' jail after marijuana was found in her boogie board bag in Bali in 2004.
On Friday Nine announced it would carry "rolling coverage" on the parole hearing and latest developments in Indonesia "as events surrounding the impending release of Schapelle Corby continue to build momentum".
This has fuelled speculation the network has secured exclusive interviews with the Corby family, but a Nine spokesperson would not confirm that.
Schapelle, which also stars Colin Friels and Denise Roberts, is based partly on Eamonn Duff's book Sins of the Father. It was made by FremantleMedia for the Nine Network.
