The list of top newsmakers, which until 2015 was usually ruled by politicians and Bollywood stars, has now seen the entry of Indian sportswomen who won laurels and dominated the headlines during the Rio Olympics.
"PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar and wrestler Vinesh Phogat emerged as the top newsmakers in 2016,” Yahoo said in a statement.
Apart from politicians and Bollywood stars, these sportswomen also pipped cricketers in the "most searched sportsperson" category, with Sindhu and Karmakar at number one and two spots, respectively, the statement read.
Apart from these sportswomen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged as the "most searched politician" for his demonetisation initiative, followed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Wherein, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli were the only cricketers who made it to the top 10 list.
However, Indians' all-consuming obsession with cricket continued with 'IPL 2016' becoming the most searched newsy term, followed by Rio Olympics.
From the business world, the launch of Reliance Jio made Mukesh Ambani one of the top Business Newsmakers of 2016.
"The Unnamed Soldier" who remained perennially at the forefront of national consciousness emerged as the "personality of the year".
"From thwarting a terrorist infiltration into the Pathankot Air Force Station to facing September's militant attack in Uri that led to a precise and surgical retaliation from India, or being in the midst of the controversy surrounding the One Rank-One Pension scheme, the soldier was in the news all year long," Yahoo said.
For the fifth consecutive year, former adult movie actor Sunny Leone reigned supreme among the "most searched female celebrities" in showbiz.
“Bigg Boss” host Salman Khan continued to lead the top spot for the “most searched male celebrity of 2016”, while stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma came in at number 2.
Kareena Kapoor Khan’s maternity wardrobe and Ranveer Singh’s quirky outfits made the duo the “most stylish male and female Bollywood actors of 2016”.
Amongst the top box office disasters, Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan Kapoor’s launch movie ‘Mirzya’ was a major letdown for movie enthusiasts. Ashutosh Gowariker’s highly anticipated period drama ‘Mohenjo Daro’ and Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Fan’ were other big movies to fail miserably at the box office.
