As Australians turn their attention to summer concerts, cinema releases and sporting events, online audiences for events and attractions grew in September, with Ticketmaster recording one of the category’s biggest gains, according to the latest Ipsos iris data.
News.com.au also edged past ABC News to claim the top spot in Australia’s digital news rankings, although the gap between the two publishers was slim.
News.com.au reached 10.99 million Australians aged 18 and over in September, up 4.7 per cent month-on-month, while ABC News attracted 10.965 million, down three per cent. Just 25,000 people separated the pair.
Nine.com.au held third place with 8.74 million users, down 2.9 per cent, while 7news.com.au remained fourth despite a 7.7 per cent decline to 7.3 million.
The Guardian Australia was among the few major publishers to grow its audience, climbing 3.4 per cent to 6.96 million and retaining fifth place.
The Sydney Morning Herald recorded the second-largest audience decline among the top 10 publishers, falling 12.5 per cent to 5.34 million. SBS News experienced the steepest drop, down 13.2 per cent to 4.26 million.
Daily Mail Australia also lost ground, falling 5.4 per cent to 5.22 million, while BBC.com slipped 2.3 per cent to 4.51 million. Yahoo News bucked the trend, growing 6.2 per cent to 4.47 million.
Across the news category, average minutes per person fell 1.7 per cent month-on-month, from 9,567 to 9,428.
Despite cost-of-living pressures and recent interest rate rises, Australians continued to engage with live entertainment, sport and cinema online.
The events and attractions category grew its audience by 2.3 per cent month-on-month, from 12.4 million to 12.7 million Australians. Those aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to visit the websites and apps, while women were more likely than men to engage, at 67 per cent compared with 55 per cent.
Ticketek held onto the top spot with 3.63 million users, up 6.6 per cent on August. Eventbrite followed with 2.76 million, growing 3.1 per cent, while Hoyts climbed to 2.23 million, up 5.3 per cent.
Ticketmaster was one of the category’s standout performers, with its audience surging 22.2 per cent to 1.95 million. Ipsos attributed the increase to major events including Australian DJ Dom Dolla’s homecoming show and the first-ever NFL regular-season game held in Australia.
Even Cinema moved in the opposite direction, falling 16.1 per cent to 1.77 million, while ticketing platform Moshtix grew 10.4 per cent to 899,000.
Travel experiences platform Viator declined 9.9 per cent to 870,000, while Live Nation increased 3.4 per cent to 780,000, following ticket releases for upcoming Australian tours from Bruno Mars, Calvin Harris, Suki Waterhouse and The Strokes.
ASX recorded the category’s biggest monthly jump, surging 86.1 per cent to 772,000 users, while Village Cinemas rounded out the top 10, growing 9.7 per cent to 738,000.
The latest figures come as Australians prepare for the summer entertainment season, with new film releases and major live events helping draw audiences back to ticketing and attraction platforms.
