Google finds India among top 10 markets soaked in Oscars 2016 frenzy

BANGALORE, INDIA: Internet queries for this year's Oscars has shattered all the past records, as search giant Google today noticed a never-seen-before search trends interest for the 88th Academy Awards.

In 2016, searches around the Oscars are trending to be the top query worldwide in the Art & Entertainment category. Google has seen an unprecedented 70 per cent YoY growth in queries for the Oscars this year, compared to 2015. Not only that, January 2016 also saw a 2X spike in searches in comparison to December 2015.

Although about 50 per cent of all Oscars search volume have originated from the USA only, it is interesting to note that India has emerged as one of the top 10 markets for Oscar searches with about 2 per cent search volume.

Here's a snapshot of what India searched for Oscars 2016:

Best Picture – Among the nominees for ‘Best Picture’ at this year’s Academy Awards it is the Revenant that unsurprisingly claims top spot followed by Mad Max: Fury Road. The top searched nominees in this category are: The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, Room, Bridge of Spies, Spotlight and The Big Short.

Best Actor – For all the Indian fans, Leonardo DiCaprio emerged as the most popular nominee in the race for Best Actor. Matt Damon (The Martian) follows as the second most searched contender. Other nominees such as Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) and Bryan Cranston (Trumbo) trail behind the first two luminaries.

Best Actress – Among the Best Actress nominees, Cate Blanchett (Carol) is the most-searched nominee followed by Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Brie Larson (Room), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) and Charlotte Rampling (45 Years).

Best Director – The top directors at the 88th Academy Awards being searched for include: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant), Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road); Lenny Abrhamson (Room) and Tom McCarthy (Spotlight).

Red Carpet Dress – Given the hype and mystery around the dresses to be worn by the top actress at the Oscars, the top searched contenders for the Best Red Carpet Dress are, Olivia Wilde, Priyanka Chopra, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Saoirse Ronan.

Top Searched Designers – Correspondingly the top searched designers for Oscars 2016 have been Valentino, Zubair Murad, Alexander McQueen, Tadashi Shoji and Calvin Klein.

Top Searched Acceptance Speeches – Google Search Trends reveal the top searched acceptance speeches by actors and actresses through the years. Matthew McConaughey (Best Actor 2014), Jared Leto (Best Supporting Actor, 2104), Jennifer Lawrence (Best Actress 2013), Patricia Arquette (Best Supporting Actress 2015) and Meryl Streep (Best Actress 2012) are those whose speeches have been immortalised in public memory and have been the top searched this year.