News consumption dipped slightly last month, with 20.7 million people using a news app or website.
That amounted to 93.4 per cent of the population, down from 97.5 per cent at the same time last year.
Australians spent an average of 5.14 hours consuming news in January, compared to 5.09 hours per month for the same time last year, according to the data from Ipsos Iris.
Australians turned to news websites and apps for updates on major local and international news events.
Nationally, the 2026 Australian Open captured readers’ attention with coverage of the year’s first Grand Slam drove sharp spikes in audience reach throughout the tournament, while weather incidents, particularly bushfires in Victoria and heatwaves across NSW and Victoria, drove people to online news. The rolling, service-oriented coverage, including maps, alerts and transport disruptions, sustained high audience attention over multiple days.
Other big local news stories included the Mosman Park double murder-suicide tragedy, the death of a 12-year-old Sydney boy from a shark attack, and Triple J’s annual Hottest 100.
Globally, stories related to Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek actress Catherine O’Hara’s death garnered interest, along with the crisis in Venezuela, including explosions in Caracas and the US
operation leading to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, the Swiss Alps ski resort bar fire, which left several people dead and injured, and the Nipah virus outbreak across India and Asia.
But while we were not reading the news, we were looking at property.
More than 15 million Australians flocked to homes and property websites and apps in January, as they used the new year, combined with strong market momentum, to actively search for a new home, according to Ipsos iris data released today.
The start of 2026 saw 15.1 million Australians, or 68.2 per cent of the online population aged 14+, visit a home and property website or app in January, spending around 43.2 minutes consuming home and property content online throughout the month. The category led year-on-year growth, rising 5.3 per cent.
Women drove the growth in home and property online content consumption, representing 54 per cent of the audience and spending an average 50.22 minutes per month, compared to 46 per cent of men who spent 35.12 minutes per month on category.
Regional Australia led the charge, with audiences up 15 per cent year-on-year in regional NSW, compared to Sydney’s 3.6 per cent, and in regional South Australia and the Northern Territory, combined reach was trending up by 11.4 per cent.
Victoria also recorded strong growth, with both metro and regional audiences increasing their visits to the home and property category. Melbourne audiences rose by 12.5 per cent year-on-year, up 7.9 per cent, while regional audiences increased by 13.2 per cent, with reach growing by 6.1 per cent.
Other states had more mixed results – in Queensland, Brisbane audiences grew by 8.4 per cent but regional audiences declined by -3.8 per cent. In Western Australia, audiences declined by 4.1 per cent and 3.6 per cent for metro and regional audiences, while both audiences also fell in Tasmania, however reach increased by 11.3 per cent for metro and 4.3 per cent for regional.
