World politics and sport dominate reader interest in June – Ipsos iris data
The US presidential debate was a hot topic on news websites and apps during June, as Aussies sought out the latest updates on Donald Trump, Joe Biden and the 2024 US presidential campaign, Ipsos iris data for June has revealed.
While international politics dominated the headlines, other breaking news and sporting events, both locally and globally, also captured Australians’ attention across news websites and apps.
Major stories, including toxic carcinogens in drinking water nationally, NSW’s win in State of Origin Game 2, the disappearance and subsequent discovery of British TV producer Michael Mosely’s body, the lead-up to the UK general election and the Euro Football Championship, had Australians flocking to digital news websites and apps as an essential source for their news.
More than 20.7 million people used a news website or app in June, reaching 96.8% of online Australians aged 14+.
The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during June 2024 by online audience size.
Ipsos iris, Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by IAB Australia, showed that overall, 21.4 million Australians aged 14+ used the internet in June, spending an average of 4.5 hours online per day, or almost 135 hours for the month.
Search engines were the most consumed website and app categories in June at 21.3 million, followed by social networking (21.3 million), technology (21.3 million), retail and commerce (21.1 million) and entertainment (21 million).
The end of the financial year sales had Australians searching for bargains, with the automotive category reaching its largest audience number this year at 12.2 million, up by 2% or 276,000 month-on-month.
Key sports events including the men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, rugby league State of Origin, and the Euro 2024 Football Championships, saw consumption of sports websites and apps increase by 3% (+383,000) in June.
Home and property also grew, up 3%, or 452,000, on last month’s figures.
The chilly weather may have driven people inside and onto their devices, with entertainment websites and apps also up significantly in June. The average time spent online for the month was up 8.3%, with Australians consuming a considerable 129 minutes more on average than the previous month.
Travel reaches 2024 peak
In June, the travel category recorded its biggest audience number so far for 2024.
The rise was likely driven by the lead-up to the July school holidays, with many families seeking a mid-year break in the sunshine. End-of-year travel sales may also have contributed to the rise, as Aussies sought to secure a deal on their next holiday.
The largest audience increases month-on-month were tourist information, which jumped by 3.5% to nearly 7.5 million, and hotel, resort and home sharing, which increased by 3.1% to nearly 7.9 million.
The chart below shows the Travel brands’ ranking during June 2024 by online audience size.
Ipsos iris, which officially launched in March 2023, provides accurate data about the 21.4 million Australians aged 14+ who access a wide variety of digital content and services across smartphone, PC/laptop and tablet devices.
