Footy grand finals and local and global political events dominate online news in September – Ipsos iris data
Automotive category records highest audience since Ipsos iris launched
23 October 2024 – Too much sport is never enough for Australia’s online population, who moved on from the Paris Olympics and straight into the AFL and NRL grand finals, and while audiences did not reach the record highs of the last two months for online sports news consumption, footy and big global news events still drove readers to news websites and apps during September.
In addition to the footy finals, other local news events such as the AFL’s Brownlow Medal winners, the Melbourne anti-war protests, and TV shows The Amazing Race Australia, MKR and The Block also attracted online news audiences. Global news events including the ongoing conflict in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ arrest, and the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump also drew audiences.
More than 20.7 million people used a news website or app in September, reaching 96.7% of online Australians aged 14+.
The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during September 2024 by online audience size.
Automotive category posts largest audience since Ipsos iris launched
The automotive category increased by 5%, or 557,000 people, month-on-month, reaching 12.3 million Australians aged 14+. This represents the largest audience for the auto category since Ipsos iris’s inception in 2023.
The automotive category is made up of websites and apps across automotive search, content and manufacturers, along with state-based motorist associations. The motorist association websites and apps increased significantly month on month, with NRMA jumping by 36%, RAC up 29%, RACQ up 26% and RAA up 20% in their respective audiences.
The month-on-month increase is likely due to the school holiday period with many families looking to travel and seeking information, roadside assistance and fuel finder tools to stretch holiday dollars further from their state-based motorist associations.
The September category result has just eclipsed the previous peak for the automotive category in June 2024 (12.2 million) which was driven by EOFY sales.
The chart below shows the Automotive brands’ ranking during September 2024 by online audience size.
Industry categories break new audience records
Other industry categories that saw increases in online audiences during September included energy suppliers/utilities, which rose 3%, or 265,000 people, month on month to reach 9.6 million Australians. The technology, directories and travel categories also hit peak audience numbers in September since Ipsos iris’s inception, to 21.3 million, 20.8 million and 18.2 million respectively.
In terms of online audience engagement, the business category rose by 4% month on month, to 37.08 minutes per person spent in the category, a new record for 2024. The telco and ISP category also recorded a significant month on month engagement increase, jumping by 9% in average time spent in the category and equating to 24.38 minutes per person during September.
More than 21 million Australians used the internet in September
Ipsos iris, Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by IAB Australia, showed that more than 21.4 million Australians aged 14+ used the internet in September and spent on average 4.6 hours per day, or almost 139 hours for the month, online.
The most consumed website and app categories in September were social networking (21.3 million), search engines (21.3 million), technology (21.3 million), retail and commerce (21.2 million) and entertainment (21 million).
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.
Notes for editors:
- Ipsos iris is an independent source of truth for the media industry providing a level playing field for comparison of audience reach and characteristics and supporting the $15.6 billion Australian online advertising market (Source; IAB Australia Internet Advertising Revenue Report prepared by PWC FY24)
- Ipsos iris provides accuracy in solving cross-device deduplication, the biggest challenge in measuring online audiences, using a single-source multi-device panel measuring activity on 8,000 smartphone, PC, laptop and tablet devices.
- Ipsos iris provides accurate data about the number of people who visit the content of digital publishers and platforms, along with the frequency of visits and time spent by tracking digital audience behaviour across desktop/laptop, smartphone, and tablets. It uses a hybrid methodology that combines metered data from a high quality, nationally representative, single-source passive panel with site-centric census measurement via media owner tagging.
- In February 2024, the CTV audience currency integration from a data partnership with OzTAM launched, providing total unduplicated digital audience currency data for BVOD across CTV, smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- In August 2024, enriched YouTube audience reach and watch time data for Connected TV across mobile, desktop and tablets was integrated into Ipsos iris, in collaboration with Google and IAB Australia.
- Ipsos iris is fully privacy compliant and cross-media ready and will continue to evolve with a roadmap of enhancements over 2024 and beyond. It will also be adaptable to changing requirements as the industry develops in future years.
- The launch of Ipsos iris with monthly data from January 2023 was the culmination of extensive work by the IAB and its Measurement Council that commenced in early 2021 with a strategic review of industry requirements. Ipsos was awarded the IAB’s endorsement, having best met the standards on criteria across all areas of product along with criteria for operations and a future roadmap.
- Further information can be found at: https://iris-au.ipsos.com/