The ides of March: An Oval Office confrontation, a cyclone called Alfred, and reality TV dramas see Australians flock to newswebsites and apps – Ipsos iris data

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The ides of March: An Oval Office confrontation, a cyclone called Alfred, and reality TV dramas see Australians flock to news websites and apps– Ipsos iris data

21.6 million people use a news website or app in March, up 4.3% year on year

24 April 2025 – Several major local and international news events, including Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Queensland, saw a surge in Australians turning to news websites and apps last month resulting in a 4.3% rise in audience to 21.6 million people, the latest Ipsos iris data for March shows.

March was a particularly big news month, with Ipsos iris data reflecting how real-world events see Australians use digital services in times of crisis. This saw Australians spend an average of more than five hours during March consuming news content online.

As Tropical Cyclone Alfred hit landfall across southeast Queensland and northern NSW, Australians used news websites and apps for the latest updates on the cyclone’s path, intensity, expected landfall, potential impact and emergency preparations. Related stories covered school closures, transport disruptions, power outages, flood warnings (including specific suburbs at risk in Brisbane), road closures, resident evacuations, and rescue efforts, and the cyclone’s aftermath, including damage assessments and recovery efforts, also received significant attention.

Other local news stories, including the Shane Warne death cover up allegations, the Tesla class action lawsuit, the closure of retailers JeansWest, Katies, Rivers and Noni B, the final weeks of reality TV shows Married At First Sight and Australian Idol, and cast announcements for MasterChef Australia and The Amazing Race Celebrity, plus the start of the AFL, NRL and Super Rugby seasons and the Australian Grand Prix and the hopes of home grown driver Oscar Piastri, all garnered interest.

Big global news events also caught our attention, including the Oval Office confrontation between US President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenzky and the global fallout as a result, the travel chaos caused at Heathrow Airport following the nearby Hayes substation fire, the 2025 Oscars red carpet and winners, and the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa and subsequent investigations.

The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during March 2025 by online audience size.

Energy supplier and utilities websites and apps jump 12.7% year on year

There was an increase in the number of Australians using energy supplier and utilities websites and apps in March, up 12.7% year on year to 10.3 million and by 1.2 million people month on month.

As the cyclone clean up began, Queenslanders’ usage of energy supplier and utilities websites and apps in March grew by +47.4% compared to February reflecting the need for updates on affected services.

Other categories with the highest year on year audience growth in March were Automotive (up 13.4%), and Homes & Property (up 8.3%), followed by Career (up 7.4%) and Games (up 6.8%).

Australians’ average time spent online increases 12.3% in March

Ipsos iris, Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by IAB Australia, showed that 22.127 million Australians aged 14+ used the internet in March.

Australians spent an average of 4.8 hours per day online in March 2025, an increase of 12.3% compared to the same time last year.

 

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 $16.4 billion Australian online advertising market (source; IAB Australia Internet Advertising Revenue Report prepared by PWC CY24).
  • 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/