With the final Nielsen numbers tallied, ABC is celebrating a historic ratings victory over NBC: for the first time in more than 16 years, ABC’s “Good Morning America” topped NBC’s “Today” in total viewers last week.

According to ABC News president Ben Sherwood, the network has its stations and affiliates to thank for the morning milestone.

“All of us at ABC News salute the dynamic team at ‘Good Morning America’ who never sleep and who care so deeply about the program,” Sherwood said in a statement. “We also thank our ABC network colleagues and our powerhouse stations and affiliates for supporting the program in so many ways.”

“It’s a special day for ABC News,” Sherwood added, “and, after a proper celebration 852 weeks in the making, we’ll get right back to work to be ready tomorrow to help GMA viewers start their day with a rewarding experience and big picture understanding of the world.”