Major news events see more than 20 million people use a news website or app in May – Ipsos iris data

 

8.4 million Australians used an energy supplier or utilities website or app in May as cost of living bites

22 June 2023 – Major news events such as the King’s Coronation ceremony, the Federal Budget, the NRL State of Origin, the death of MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo, Eurovision and the Met Gala drove interest in News websites and apps, with 20.2 million people using them during May, according to Ipsos iris, Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by the IAB Australia.

Sites with traditionally strong UK coverage such as Daily Mail Australia, were boosted by the Coronation and Royals, as well as The Guardian that also saw strong Federal Budget interest among Australians.

The News category includes audience and time spent online on both general news and broader news content including weather, sport, lifestyle, entertainment, and business news.

The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during May 2023 by online audience size.

As cost of living pressures impact Australians, more than 8.4 million people aged 14+ used an energy supplier or utilities website or app in May. This represented an increase of 13.3% on April and the fastest growing audience of any category,

The Federal Government’s website where people can source energy rebates, Energy.gov.au, was the fastest growing brand in the category, with its audience jumping by 130% compared to April data. Women aged over 55 and low to middle income households were the most likely to have visited this site in May.

The sharp growth in interest in energy suppliers is being driven by increased concern among Australians over the cost of living, which was cited as the top concern among the population at 62% (up 3 percentage points), followed by housing at 39%, data from the May Ipsos Issues Monitor showed.

The chart below shows the energy supplier and utilities brands’ ranking during May 2023 by online audience size.

Interest among Australians spending time online rose by 6.3% in May over the month prior, with those aged 14+ spending 3.8 hours a day online. People aged 25-39 were the largest cohort online during May, while people aged 40 to 54 spent the most time online.

The most consumed online categories by total audience size in May included search (20.9 million), social networking (20.9 million), technology (20.9 million), retail and commerce (20.7 million), and entertainment (20.5 million).

Ipsos iris, which officially launched in March, provides accurate data about the 21 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 $14.2 billion Australian online advertising market*.
  • 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.
  • Later this year CTV audience currency integration from a data partnership with OzTAM will provide total unduplicated digital audience currency data for CTV, smartphones, tablets, and computers.
  • Ipsos iris is fully privacy compliant and cross-media ready and will continue to evolve with a roadmap of enhancements over 2023 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/

*Source: IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report (OAER CY2022) prepared by PwC Australia