TVNZ's Breakfast returned to our screens on Monday with a bright new host and shiny new set - but only 86,000 Kiwis chose to start their day with the team, down from more than 115,000 at the same time last year.

Tuesday proved more promising with an average audience of 99,000 viewers tuning in, however, TVNZ bosses and advertisers alike will be watching closely to see how things progress from here.

In particular, they will be keeping a close eye on the key commercial ratings with viewers aged 25-54, which saw The AM Show beat Breakfast on Monday.

The AM Show clocked an average audience of 29,000 viewers aged 25-54 on Monday, compared to Breakfast's 26,000.

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Tuesday saw Breakfast reclaim its dominant position, with 31,000 viewers compared to The AM Show's 28,000.

Read more:
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Traditionally, January ratings are always softer than the rest of the year, particularly before the start of the school term.

Last year, Breakfast enjoyed three weeks without any direct competition from Three, as The AM Show didn't launch until February 13.

This year, Mediaworks bosses made a strategic decision to bring both The AM Show and The Project back from summer break earlier, while TVNZ's Breakfast and Seven Sharp remained off-air.

It's a move that appears to have paid off for The AM Show, with this week's ratings showing 34% growth compared to their first week back last year, in mid-February.

Breakfast returned this week with new host Hayley Holt joining Jack Tame as Hilary Barry prepares to move to prime time, where she will host Seven Sharp.

Her co-host has yet to be announced, although speculation is mounting that Radio Hauraki host Jeremy Wells is the frontrunner.

TVNZ has confirmed the series will return in just over a week's time on Monday, February 5.

Last year, Seven Sharp hosts Toni Street and Mike Hosking surprised viewers when they announced they would be stepping down from their roles after four years hosting the programme together.