NEW DELHI: Indians love sensation, and how! News of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's death drew 42.6 million viewers in India, against the 42.1 million who watched the fairytale British royal wedding, according to rating agency Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd (aMap).
Osama's death was announced by US President Barack Obama on Monday, while the magnanimous wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine took place in London's Westminster Abbey on Friday last week.
The direct telecast rights of the royal wedding was with BBC Entertainment channel, but the Indian news channels in Hindi and English gave wide coverage to the William-Kate wedding with limited access.
However, the unexpected news of Osama's death in a firefight with US forces in Pakistan, clearly excited the audiences more and the news was splashed across all Indian and international channels.
The market share for top English news channels like Times Now, NDTV 24X7, CNN IBN, Headlines Today and BBC World taken together increased by 21 percent on Monday, as compared to the average of last four Mondays.
Hindi news channels like Aajtak, India TV, NDTV India, IBN7, Star News and Zee News together gained a 35 percent market share.
The reach of the English news genre too was higher by nine percent Monday as compared to the day of the royal wedding.