Entertainment dominates online time as Gen Z drives growth

Australians continue to flock to entertainment content online, with 21.8 million people aged over 14 years using entertainment websites or apps in May, representing some 98% of the population, according to the latest Ipsos iris digital audience data.

Online time spent with entertainment content rose 3% year-on-year, accounting for 20% of total internet use, or almost an hour a day per user. Gen Z led the charge, with 99.4% accessing entertainment sites or apps in May. The cohort also spent 28% more time than other age groups on entertainment and were 50% more likely to engage with comedy content.

While music and social video featured strongly for both genders, Gen Z males spent 75% more time on entertainment than their female counterparts, driven by higher engagement with online games. Women made up 78% of the entertainment (social) video audience.

May also saw Aussies return to major news sites after a slow April, clocking up 5.3 hours on news content online in May, up 8.4% year the previous month. While total audience numbers remained steady at 21.4 million (96.5% reach), time spent rose as users engaged with trending news.

Major local stories included the Labor Party’s federal election landslide, NSW mid-north coast floods and the mushroom poisoning trial. Internationally, readers followed the Papal Conclave and election of Pope Leo, as well as global conflicts and major celebrity news including the Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs trial and the New York Met Gala.

Top news brands by audience

ABC News retained its position as Australia’s leading digital news outlet with 13.9 million monthly readers in May, up 5.9% from April. It now sits more than two million readers ahead of its nearest rival, news.com.au, which remained steady at 11.8 million after losing 550,000 readers the previous month.

Nine.com.au rebounded with 574,000 additional readers to surpass the 10-million mark again, while Guardian Australia gained more than a million new readers in a month – jumping ahead of 7news and Daily Mail, which shed 576,000 and 100,000 readers respectively.

The strongest percentage growth came from the BBC (up 17.1%) and SBS News (up 15.7%), reflecting rising interest in global news stories.

Categories with the biggest month-on-month growth were automotive (+8.9%), events & attractions (+4.6%), sports (+3.3%) and careers (+2.3%). Year-on-year, automotive led the gains (+11%), followed by homes & property (+10.9%), career (+7.3%) and health (+5.4%).