Ipsos iris digital audience data for January 2025 has indicated a notable rise in the consumption of health-related content among Australians, with over 18 million Australians having accessed health-related websites or apps over the month - a 4.3 per cent increase from December 2024.

The surge in interest is also reflected in the average time spent on health-related content, which rose by 20.9 per cent to 68 minutes per month.

Ipsos iris, launched in March 2023, provides digital audience measurement across multiple devices and is endorsed by IAB Australia. It employs a hybrid methodology that combines metered data from a single-source passive panel with site-centric census measurement.

The January data saw the fitness and exercise sub-category experience the most substantial growth, with an additional 768,000 users, representing a 7.9 per cent increase from the previous month, as Australians ramped up their post-Christmas exercise regimes. Women aged 14 to 54 were the primary users of these platforms, with those aged 40 to 54 spending the most time engaged with fitness and exercise-related content.

According to Ipsos iris, January saw nearly 8.8 million Australians utilise a health-related app as they doubled down on their “get healthy” New Year’s resolutions.

Major news events also contributed to increased traffic to news websites and apps, with the likes of the Australian Open, the California wildfires, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war having driven significant interest.

In January 2025, 20.9 million people accessed news websites or apps, reaching 97.5 per cent of online Australians aged 14 and older. The online news audience saw a 1.1 per cent increase from December 2024 and a 3.1 per cent rise year-on-year. Australians spent over five hours per month consuming news content online during this period.

Elsewhere, the career category also saw a 5.9 per cent increase in audience numbers, reflecting a trend of job-seeking at the start of the year. Similarly, the homes and property category grew by 5.9 per cent, while the games category increased by 3 per cent. Retail audiences remained stable in January 2025, consistent with figures from November and December 2024.

Year-on-year, the automotive category recorded the largest audience growth at 10 per cent, followed by games at 8.8 per cent, energy suppliers/utilities at 8.4 per cent, and homes and property at 7 per cent. In total, 21.5 million Australians aged 14 and above used the internet in January 2025, spending an average of 4.8 hours per day online.

The most consumed website and app categories during this period were social networking, search, technology, retail, and entertainment.

Looking to publishers, and across its various titles and mastheads, News Corp Australia reached four in five Australians in January, with an audience of 17.642 million - up 2.7 per cent month-on-month. The Murdoch-owned media business reached 1.4 million more than its nearest competitor, increasing the gap by 72 per cent compared to the previous month. 

Free news and lifestyle editor-in-chief, Mick Carroll, said: “Our newsroom strategy over the summer period has proved immensely successful. January is traditionally a quieter month and with that in mind we increased our focus on local news coverage, explainers and original in-depth stories. We were also hyperfocused on leveraging our suite of content from entertainment and sport to lifestyle, food and travel. All of these things have made a real difference in ensuring we continue to deliver deeper engagement with our audiences.” 

Managing director and publisher free news and lifestyle, Pippa Leary, said: “The editorial teams’ focus on engaging our core audiences has driven a real lift in our engagement and engaged reach statistics. Readers come to our homepages every day, deliberately choosing to engage with our content, ensuring that our clients’ campaigns benefit from wide exposure and deep audience interaction.” 

Elsewhere, News Corp-owned property listings platform REA Group saw a record audience of 12.4 million Australians in January, growing its lead over competitor Domain to 5.5 million people.

REA Group general manager audience and marketing, Sarah Myers, said: “ Our record January demonstrate s that Australian b uyers, sellers and renters have a clear and increasing preference for realestate.com.au. Our loyal audience continually return to our site for a superior consumer experience where they can find more listings than anywhere else.

“Deciding to buy and sell a home are some of life’s biggest and most stressful decisions, and our strategy centres on personalising this experience to best support Australians through out the property journey. Realestate.com.au experiences are powered by leading technology and the most comprehensive data - driven view of the property market, and we’re aspiring to set a new global benchmark for a dynamic property experience.”