Both Breakfast (L) and AM Show (R) have welcomed new hosts this year. Photo / Instagram @breakfaston1, @amshownz
Both Breakfast (L) and AM Show (R) have welcomed new hosts this year. Photo / Instagram @breakfaston1, @amshownz
One week after TVNZ’s Breakfast returned to our screens, Warner Brothers Discovery’s AM Show has too, meaning the battle for morning ratings is back on.
Both shows have welcomed new co-hosts this year with TVNZ journalist Daniel Faitaua joining Breakfast alongside Jenny-May Clarkson, Chris Chang and Anna Burns-Francis,while former Newshub political reporter Lloyd Burr joins Melissa Chan-Green at AM Show.
Faitaua said he was thrilled to be returning to Breakfast, “and joining the amazing stable of talent, in front and behind the camera” a statement from TVNZ read.
Daniel Faitaua joins his Breakfast co-hosts Jenny-May Clarkson, Chris Chang and Anna Burns-Francis. Photo / Instagram @breakfaston1
Burr also had kind words about his new, role telling the Herald last year: “I’ve been fortunate to have a front-row seat to many new events over the past 13 years - but the seat I’m looking forward to the most is the one onAM.”
Now the new hosts have settled into their seats, what do the ratings say?
According to analytics supplied to TVNZ by Nielsen, Breakfast reached 216,000 viewers on Monday morning in the broad demographic of viewers aged 5 and over.
The AM Show reached 192,000 viewers in the same category on Monday, creating a gap of 24,000 viewers, according to Nielsen ratings supplied by TVNZ.
Sarah Bristow, Senior Director of News for Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ told the Herald, “AM’s only just returned but we’ve already been delighted with positive feedback from our solid and loyal audience on ThreeNow and Three. We’ll continue to work hard to ensure a successful future for AM as the best morning show on television.”
Just weeks later, it was announced Ryan Bridge would leave AM, instead moving to primetime and a new 7pm news show for Three that replaces The Project.
It follows a turbulent few years for the morning shows. 2022 saw the departure of John Campbell at Breakfast. He was replaced by Kamahl Santamaria, who also stepped down amid allegations he had behaved inappropriately towards female colleagues.
The show continued through the year with only three hosts, Clarkson, McLean and Indira Stewart. At the end of the year, Stewart announced she was leaving the show to work as an in-depth multimedia reporter, with TVNZ announcing sports reporter Chris Chang and US correspondent Anna Burns-Francis would join the 2023 line-up.
Also in 2022, AM Show’s then co-hosts Bridge and Chan-Green revealed to viewers their co-host Bernadine Oliver-Kerby was on leave recovering from Bell’s Palsy - later diagnosed as Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
The last update given to fans was in January 2023 when Bridge told viewers: “She’s making great progress. She is missing you all, she sent us a text to say that, but she also has a little more resting to do.”
It remains unknown when the broadcaster will return to our screens.
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, Kiwi celebs we can’t help but love and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
