Nielsen: American media cover Royal Wedding more frequently than UK
If you thought UK media publishers were more obsessed with the William-Kate wedding on Friday than other regions, think again. A new Nielsen study found American news media out-published their UK counterparts with overwhelming coverage of the Royal Wedding.
The study found “the United States has the highest share of news coverage by traditional news sources, such as the online versions of newspapers and magazines.” Since the couple announced their engagement in November 2010, American coverage of the Royal Wedding accounted for .3 percent of all U.S. news coverage immediately after the announcement. Afterward, that percentage dipped and then rose again in early April, and continued to double the percentage enjoyed by the UK news media.
Nielsen’s study follows other reports of frenzied coverage by American media. CNN is reportedly sending at least 125 journalist to cover the wedding. Also, the New York Times found “wedding experts” to be particularly hot on American TV the past few weeks. More than 2 billion people are expected to watch the Royal Wedding Friday morning.
But with all the news media reports and online chatter about the Royal Wedding, who’s getting more frequent coverage, Kate or Will? The Nielsen study concludes: “Though Kate has received considerable interest online, Prince William continues to be the more popular subject of social media discussion in the United Kingdom.”