Seven Sharp typically presents 3 stories within a 30-minute timeslot every weeknight,[2] and is designed to be more integrated with social media and real time opinions than its predecessor.

Seven Sharp also shares its time slot with sister channel TVNZ 2's drama Shortland Street, and Prime's The Crowd Goes Wild.

Previous fill-in presenters have included Pippa Wetzell, Melissa Stokes, Sam Wallace, Tim Wilson, Carolyn Robinson, Erin Conroy, Stacey Morrison, Heather du Plessis-Allan, Te Radar, Clarke Gayford, Tāmati Coffey, Matt Gibb, Chris Cairns, Brendon Pongia and Rose Matafeo.

[8] Alison Mau left on the final episode of the series, to host a show on Radio Live with Willie Jackson from noon to 3 pm on weekdays.

The second series of Seven Sharp premiered on 27 January 2014 with Mike Hosking, Toni Street, and Jesse Mulligan at the desk,[9] and has 230 episodes.

[citation needed] Jesse Mulligan left the Seven Sharp panel on 17 April, and TVNZ announced that it wouldn't hire another host.

While Street was on maternity leave in mid-2015, her position was filled by Pippa Wetzell on Mondays–Thursdays and Nadine Chalmers-Ross (now Higgins) on Fridays.

[20] The sixth series of Seven Sharp premiered on 5 February 2018, with new hosts Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells,[3] and has 226 episodes.

[22][23][24] Seven Sharp was criticised around its inception for its new format, with some media commentators saying that "TVNZ [had exchanged Close Up's] current affairs for a mess of pottage".