Oh brother: Peter and Karl Stefanovic in breakfast battle

Two siblings will battle it out in the hotly contested breakfast timeslot for the first time in Australian TV ­history.

Peter Stefanovic will host his own breakfast show on Sky News, while brother Karl will return to Today on Nine.

Television host Karl Stefanovic will have his work cut out for him if he is to stand even the remotest chance of resurrecting Nine’s ­embattled Today — but there is at least one person who will not be tuning in no matter what he does: his brother.

Peter Stefanovic hosts his own breakfast show, First Edition, on Sky News, alongside Laura Jayes, and Nine’s decision to ­reinstate Karl on Today will pit two siblings against each other in the hotly contested timeslot for the first time in Australian television ­history.

Like all brothers, Peter is fiercely competitive and, while Sky News’ ratings do not compare with those of its free-to-air ­rivals, the 37-year-old said his show had stolen audience share from Today following Nine’s disastrous decision to axe his brother as host a year ago, and he did not intend on giving that away.

Peter Stefanovic with First Edition co-host Laura Jayes. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“I won’t be watching him ­because I’ll be busy doing our own show,” he told The Australian. “Anyone who knows us knows that we revel in sibling rivalry. This will be no exception.

“Truth is, we have wrestled eyeballs off Today this year, and Karl is going to have to work his backside off to get them back. I’ll be doing my best to stop that.”

In a good-natured gibe, he added: “If I ever want to know how well he is doing all I need to do is ask him. And if he needs any tips or advice at 4am on the news of the day, he can give me a call ­because I’m already up and all over it by then.”

As revealed by The Australian on Thursday, Nine has been forced to make an embarrassing about-face, reinstating the man it sacked as the host of Today while he was on his honeymoon with second wife Jasmine Yarbrough — ironically for attracting too much attention — after his ­replacements, Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight, failed to win over audiences.

The decision, which will see him paired with experienced 60 Minutes reporter Allison Langdon, was confirmed at the weekend after a flurry of last-­minute negotiations over Karl’s pay packet.

The 45-year-old had been ­expected to attend a tribute dinner for former prime minister Tony Abbott on Sydney’s northern beaches on Thursday but was a late cancellation, with pay discussions understood to have run well into the night.

His return was vaunted on the front page of Nine’s Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday — a decision that generated an overwhelming backlash on social media, with critics contending that the placement of the promotional piece made a mockery of the company’s assurances that the paper’s news pages would ­remain independent, always under its stewardship.

While Peter was quick to rib his brother about his chances of making a successful comeback after the show dipped to an all-time ratings low of 155,000 earlier this month, he said it was important not to take the face-off too ­seriously.

“Let me put it this way. In 2001 the great Alfie Langer led Queensland to victory in the third and ­deciding Origin game,” he said. “It was a truly epic sporting comeback. Karl will need to invoke the legend of Langer, and I know he’ll give it a great crack.

“It’s also important to keep some perspective here despite the pressure he is under. As (former Australian cricketer and air force pilot) Keith Miller said, real ­pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse.”

Peter knows the pressure Karl will face in his return to the timeslot from experience. He was co-hosting Weekend Today with Langdon last summer when he ­became an unwitting casualty of Nine’s ill-conceived move to oust his brother, parting ways with the network after 15 years of service.

He said he was not bitter about his ­departure and was enjoying his new home at Sky News as it ­allowed him to drill down on more serious stories and events.

“We cover the big issues and we do it in depth. We’re the bacon and eggs of breakfast news — solid and reliable with no frills,” he said.

“We get to spend a longer amount of time on interviews and the bigger issues of the morning. Our viewers know what they get with us. Live and breaking news is our strength and political coverage is our point of difference.”