Seven’s Sunrise and Nine’s Today are famed for their long-running ratings feud and differing styles.

But the breakfast show rivals appear to have one thing in common – they rarely finish on time.

According to a new survey, both programs extended their usual running time several times last month.

Industry blog TV Tonight monitored both shows in May and noted that neither Sunrise or Today managed to wrap up by 9am.

According to the publication, Sunrise regularly ate into the running time of The Morning Show, which follows the breakfast show Monday to Friday.

Seven’s Sunrise and Nine’s Today are famed for their long-running ratings feud and differing styles, but the breakfast show rivals appear to have one thing in common – they rarely finish on time

Industry blog TV Tonight monitored both shows in May and noted that neither Sunrise or Today managed to wrap up by 9am. Pictured: Nine’s Today

Extended episodes of Sunrise occurred across five episodes in one week.

One episode on May 22 finished at 9.14am – almost 15 minutes past the start time for The Morning Show.

Over on Nine, the survey found a similar story.

Hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, Today ran into overtime across five days, with one episode on May 23 finishing at 9.13 am – well past the 9 am start time for Today Extra.

The report indicated that the overruns at both networks could give their mid-morning programming a ‘jolt’ in the ratings.

Meanwhile, a Nine spokesperson explained said the extended run times for Today are due to breaking stories.

‘As a live news and current affairs program, Today is inherently dynamic and responsive to the unfolding news cycle,’ they said.

‘The 9.00am news bulletin, in particular, can vary in duration depending on the volume and urgency of the day’s stories. We believe delivering comprehensive and current news to our audience is the most important consideration.’

According to the publication, Sunrise regularly ate into the running time of The Morning Show, which follows the breakfast show Monday to Frida

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Seven and Nine for comment.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority offers guidelines for electronic program guide, which is self-regulated and includes classification details for parental guidance.

Recommendations include that ‘the ‘following program’ field in the EPG must change straight away to the ‘present program’.

‘There is no formal requirement for broadcasters to meet the EPG principles however we use a number of means, including public complaints, to monitor their performance against the principles,’ an ACMA spokesperson told TV Tonight.

Bridget Fair, CEO of FreeTV Australia, told the publication that the EPG 7-day schedule is a ‘forecast only’ and free-to-air requires flexibility around breaking news.

‘However, the now/next information [on the EPG] needs to accurately reflect what program is actually going to air, for common consumer device features such as parental lock to work properly,’ she added.