Bollywood event 'worth millions'

Bachchan and Shetty launched the awards in Yorkshire

Tourism officials in Yorkshire say the Bollywood Oscars generated more than £20m ($40m) worth of media coverage for the county.

The Yorkshire Tourist Board said an estimated 500m viewers worldwide watched the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in June.

Bollywood superstars including Amitabh Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty attended the awards, which were held in Sheffield.

Tourism officials said the awards put Yorkshire on the global map.

In a statement the region's tourist board said the media valuation had exceeded the US $40m across the UK.

Coverage included the event's launch in both London and Yorkshire along with curtain-raiser events.

More than 40 hours of television coverage across a range of outlets and articles in the national print media were taken into account.

David Andrews, chief executive of the Yorkshire Tourist Board, said: "IIFA presented huge economic opportunities for businesses in Yorkshire and gave Yorkshire the chance to showcase its tourism, culture, business, film locations and creative industries to an IIFA international audience."

thanks to bbc uk