Ratings wars: Viewers dip on day two of Seven Sharp, but still many more than The Project

Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells addressed some viewer feedback.

Both Seven Sharp and The Project lost viewers last night, as the battle for 7pm continues.

A ratings decline was almost inevitable given the public holiday and golden weather - with the real test of TVNZ's new line-up still to come.

433,000 Kiwis aged 5+ tuned in to Seven Sharp last night, compared to 467,000 on Monday.

By comparison, The Project saw 122,000 viewers tune in, down slightly from 126,000.

Jesse Mulligan and Kanoa Lloyd on The Project.

In the key commercial demographic of 25-54, The Project dropped 10 per cent from 51,000 viewers to 45,000. At Seven Sharp, that drop was a more significant 25 per cent, with 108,000 viewers tuning in, down from 144,000 on Monday.

New hosts Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells were met with mixed reaction after their debut on Monday night but appeared more relaxed last night, addressing some viewers' feedback early in the show.

Barry joked she had "fixed" her hair based on some of the constructive criticism. The pair also debated exactly what shade of pink - or possibly red - the set was, following widespread criticism of the new look.

On social media, reaction to last night's episode was more muted with many praising reporter Maiki Sherman's piece on Waitangi, told from a Maori perspective.

7pm isn't the only ratings battleground with TVNZ's Breakfast and rival The AM Show also locked in a bitter battle.

Meanwhile, the battle for early morning viewers continues with The AM Show claiming victory over Breakfast last week in the 25-54 demographic.

Nielsen ratings show Duncan Garner and the team beat their TVNZ rivals four out of five days last week, with an average of 35,000 viewers choosing to start their day with The AM Show last week, compared to 32,000 who opted for Jack Tame and Hayley Holt.

However, the TVNZ programme, remains the most-watched morning news programme with viewers aged 5+.

The AM Show celebrated a win over Breakfast last week in the key 25-54 demographic.