By 3 News online staff
Australia's Channel Ten is sticking by Paul Henry and his morning show Breakfast, despite its ratings being described as "in the toilet".
Since launching in February, the show's ratings have plummeted from an initial 51,000 viewers to 30,000 or so – and occasionally as few as 22,000.
In comparison, Channel Nine's Today and Channel Seven's Sunrise each attract over 300,000 viewers.
'While its direct rivals slug it out for No.1 and No.2, the show's ratings are in the toilet," writes Sydney Morning Herald entertainment editor Karl Quinn.
Former TVNZ executive and director of news and current affairs for Channel Ten, Anthony Flannery, has defended their choice to structure the struggling show around Henry.
'Paul's one of the best interviewers you'll come across," says Mr Flannery, seeking to dispel Henry's reputation as a 'shock jock'.
''He says it as he sees it, he'll say the things that people are thinking, but he'll also ask the hard questions when he needs to.''
He says it's going to take time for Australian viewers to warm to the controversial Kiwi.
"It's going to take us months to get our format working and once that's working you're continuously reassessing it," says Mr Flannery.
"It could take a couple of years to get it up there in a really strong ratings position.''
Channel Ten says it has no targets in terms of ratings.
3 News