‘Good Morning America’ earns biggest ratings win on ‘Today’ in 18 years as Robin Roberts starts medical leave

ABC’s Good Morning America posted its largest ratings win over NBC’s Today Show in 18 years thanks to strong numbers for the week starting on Aug. 27. The week began with Robin Roberts announcing that her medical leave would start Friday, although she left early to be with her mother.

ABC News boasted that Nielsen data showed that 5.386 million total viewers tuned in to GMA, while 4.503 million tuned in to Today, a difference of 883,000 viewers.

GMA also won in the key 25-45 demographic, drawing 1.969 million viewers, compared to Today’s 1.817 million, a difference of 152,000 viewers.

It is the largest win for GMA in over 18 years in both categories. The week of May 16, 1994 was the last time GMA had such a large victor in total viewers, while the week of Aug. 15, 1994 was the last time in the key demo.

ABC did not mention anything in the announcement about Roberts’ medical leave, notes The Washington Post.

On Aug. 27, Roberts announced that Aug. 31 would be her last day, but on Aug. 30, she said that she would have to leave a day early to be with her 88-year-old mother, who unfortunately died that night.

Roberts was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome and will be receiving a bone marrow transplant. She has been keeping her fans up to date on Twitter, recently writing, “Back home in NYC. Will rest a few days. Doctors orders to put on a lil weight...that's a first. Transplant now sched for next week. Onward.”