Australians lock in record online entertainment and news engagement in May

The latest Ipsos iris data for May 2025 shows a surge in online usage across both entertainment and news categories in Australia.

Nearly all Australians aged 14+ (21.8 million or 98%) used an entertainment site or app in May. That figure is up 3% year-on-year. Users, meanwhile, spent almost one hour per day engaging with entertainment content, accounting for 20% of total online time spent in May.

Gen Z (aged 14–24) stands out with a remarkable 99.4% penetration among this group.

They spend approximately 28% more time than older cohorts consuming entertainment online and are 50% more likely to engage with comedy content.

Gender differences within Gen Z are notable.

While both young men and women favour social video and music, men spend 75% more time overall, driven in part by increased online gaming.

Gen Z women, on the other hand, make up 78% of entertainment video audiences.

News: stability in reach, growth in engagement

The Australian online news market is holding steady in reach while seeing rising consumption.

A total of 21.4 million Australians (96.5% of the digital population) accessed news apps or sites in May, mirroring year-on-year numbers, but time spent grew: Australians now spend 5.3 hours per month on news, a rise of 8.0% on April and 8.4% year-on-year.

Interest in timely stories, from Australia's Federal election and NSW floods to global events like the Papal Conclave, Kashmir conflict and celebrity trials, has deepened consumer engagement.

Total online time: climbing across the board

Overall, average daily online time reached 4.8 hours per person in May, a 4.7% increase on the same period in 2024.

With 22.12 million Australians logging onto websites and apps across devices, online activity remained highly distributed across category types: social, search, technology, retail and entertainment each breached 21.8 million users in May.

The strongest month-on-month growth in reach occurred in Automotive (+8.9%), Events & Attractions (+4.6%), Sports (+3.3%) and Careers (+2.3%). On an annual basis, the biggest increases were in Automotive (+11%), Homes & Property (+10.9%), Careers (+7.3%) and Health (+5.4%).

To read the full report click here.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.