Homes and property audience numbers also grow, amid capital city real estate boom –
23 September 2024 – Australia’s impressive medal tally at the Paris Olympics, including Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s polarising breakdancing performance, helped Aussie’ online sport consumption reach new records in August, the latest Ipsos iris data has revealed.
Audience for the online sports category hit a new audience peak last month, as Australians flocked to both Olympics and Paralympics coverage, with ‘Raygun’s’ now-iconic breakdancing performing, plus skateboarding’s young competitors and Aussies’ prowess in the pool, attracting record audience numbers.
The sports category grew 5% month on month, representing an extra 735,000 Australians, for a total sports audience of more than 15.6 million. The new record since the inception of Ipsos iris, followed an already significant 7% (962,000) increase in audience numbers for July, making two consecutive months for record Australian sport audience numbers online.
Sports also featured in many of the major news stories that consumed Aussies’ attention in August, particularly all the latest updates from the Olympics, the Paralympics opening ceremony, the Olympics’ Imane Khelif’s boxing gender scandal, and the NRL premiership news. Global events, including the Southport stabbings in the UK and subsequent riots, and Brit band Oasis’s reunion announcement, plus local entertainment stories including the Logie Awards and TV shows The Voice and Dancing With The Stars, saw Australians seek out online news websites and apps as an essential source for big news story events.
More than 20.7 million people used a news website or app in August, reaching 96.5% of online Australians aged 14+.
The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during August 2024 by online audience size.
The chart below shows the Sports brands’ ranking during August 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 August and spent on average 4.6 hours per day, or almost 143 hours for the month, online – an equal record with last month.
The most consumed website and app categories in August were social networking (21.4 million), search engines (21.3 million), technology (21.3 million), retail and commerce (21.1 million) and entertainment (21 million).
The social media category beat search engines for the top consumed category for the first time in recent months, notching up the largest audience number since the launch of Ipsos iris in January 2023. The games category experienced a month on month increase of 8% in time spent, sitting at more than 638 minutes spent on games websites and apps per person.
The retail and commerce category also peaked in August, recording its highest-ever engagement numbers, increasing by 8% to 456 minutes per person.
Homes & property category hits Ipsos iris peak, amid renewed confidence in real estate market
The homes and property category recorded an all-time audience high in August, peaking at just over 14 million Australians. The figure was the highest number recorded in both 2024 and in Ipsos iris history, with overall audience numbers increasing by more than 300,000 month on month. Major property brands realestate.com.au and Domain also recorded month on month audience increases of 4% and 5% respectively.
The data reflects a nationwide trend for increased property listings this Spring, as new listings in the nation’s capital cities reached their highest levels in more than a decade. New PropTrack data showed capital city new listing volumes were 1.6% higher year on year in August – the highest they have been since 2012. The listing increases come amid renewed confidence in the property market, with interest rates expected to drop in 2025.
The chart below shows the Homes and Property brands’ ranking during August 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.
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