The newly named Live! With Kelly & Michael just debuted this month, but the first episode with new co-host Michael Strahan has already seen a nice boost in ratings.

According to THR, The show won the top slot in the top 14 of 15 U.S. markets and showed a 44 percent ratings improvement over September of last year, when the farewell campaign for longtime host Regis Philbin was under way.

Strahan's first broadcast also saw an 83 percent ratings increase among women aged 18-34, with women 18-49 (up 70 percent) and women 25-54 (64 percent) also seeing significant jumps. Too early to tell whether these numbers will hold, but it's certainly a good sign.

Former NFL defensive end Strahan joined the broadcast as a permanent co-host this month after guest hosting previously with Kelly Ripa. Prior to that, Ripa hosted the show solo for nearly a year after Philbin's departure.