Ipsos has released its data for February 2025, which saw ABC News come out on top as the most-read news platform by online audience size, according to the latest Ipsos iris data, endorsed by IAB Australia.
Trending Australian and global news events have resulted in 20.9 million people, or 96.5 per cent of online Australians aged 14+, using a news website or app during February for more than four hours.
ABC News saw a 12,413,000 audience, which was down 0.6 per cent from last month, while The Age saw 4,361,000 readers, down 2.5 per cent.
Daily Mail Australia saw an audience of 8,677,000, which was up 0.3 per cent from last month.
Trending Australian news stories, including the death of a teenage girl following a shark attack off Queensland’s Bribie Island, the threat to Western Australia from Cyclone Zelia, the ongoing dramas on the Nine Network’s Married At First Sight, the anti-Semitic video controversy with two Sydney nurses, continued cost-of-living concerns and the first RBA interest rate reduction since November 2020, plus the sudden death of AFL play Troy Selwood, and the controversial comments made by Triple M radio host Marty Sheargold over the Matildas, which led to his departure.
In global news, the return of Donald Trump to politics dominated online attention, including the introduction of tariffs, plus the ongoing conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, the controversial actions of Elon Musk including his management of X, his role in the Trump administration and his personal life, the death of actor Gene Hackman, the NFL Super Bowl and Australian player Jordan Mailata, and the Grammys red carpet action and awards.
More than 21 million Australians used a finance-related website or app in February 2025, representing a 4.3 per cent month-on-month increase with banking, insurance and loans leading the charge following the RBA’s interest rate reduction. It also represented a year-on-year increase of 5.6 per cent.
Australians spent almost two hours each, on average, in February using finance-related websites and apps. The banking sub-category dominated, with 96.9 per cent of online Australians aged 14+ using some form of online banking via a website or app.
The insurance and loans sub-categories recorded the largest year-on-year growth during February, jumping 21.6 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
Both men and women have equally been engaging with insurance websites and apps, while the over 65s were the most likely to have been looking at insurance. Women were significantly more likely to have been looking at loan websites and apps in February, with women aged 40 to 54 the largest cohort.
Categories with growth larger than the online population increase in February compared to January were the health, finance, business sectors (corporate and business information websites), education and directories.
Categories with the largest year-on-year increases in online audiences were automotive (+10.3 per cent), travel (+7.9 per cent), career (+7.9 per cent), games (+7.9 per cent) and sports (+7.5 per cent).
The most consumed website and app categories in January were search (22 million), social networking (22 million), technology (22 million), retail (21.8 million) and entertainment (21.7 million).
