ABC NEWS was Australia’s leading news brand in June, with almost 12.6 million unique visitors in June compared to news.com.au, which had 12.4 million unique visitors, according to Ipsos iris data for June.
This comes as ABC NEWS prepares to launch a major upgrade and update to the site, which is currently in a “beta” testing phase to about 10 per cent of the audience, who will be invited to give their feedback.
Justin Stevens, ABC director, news, said: “It’s wonderful that on the same day ABC NEWS achieves the No 1 news brand ranking we can also announce the biggest upgrade to ABC NEWS online for seven years. We’re excited to deliver an even better service for our online audience.
“So much has changed in the past seven years. The media environment has transformed. How audiences want to consume news, their needs and expectations, are very different. Storytelling and technology have evolved significantly.
“This upgrade ensures our online audience gets the best user experience of Australia’s best and most trusted journalism.”
ABC NEWS prepares to launch a major upgrade and update to its news site
In June, Australians were eager to see the latest updates on the US presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump on the road campaign trail to the 2024 US election across news websites and apps, according to Ipsos iris data for June.
Major stories, including toxic carcinogens in drinking water nationally, NSW’s win in State of Origin Game 2, the disappearance and subsequent discovery of British TV presenter Michael Mosely’s body, and the lead-up to the UK general election and the Euro Football Championship, had Australians flocking to digital news websites and apps as an essential source for their news.
More than 20.7 million people used a news website or app in June, reaching 96.8% of online Australians aged 14+.
The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during June 2024 by online audience size.
Overall, 21.4 million Australians aged 14+ used the internet in June, spending an average of 4.5 hours online per day, or almost 135 hours for the month, according to the Ipsos iris data.
Search engines were the most consumed website and app categories in June at 21.3 million, followed by social networking (21.3 million), technology (21.3 million), retail and commerce (21.1 million) and entertainment (21 million).
The end of the financial year sales had Australians searching for bargains, with the automotive category reaching its largest audience number this year at 12.2 million, up by 2% or 276,000 month- on-month.
Key sports events including the men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, rugby league State of Origin, and the Euro 2024 Football Championships, saw consumption of sports websites and apps increase by 3% (+383,000) in June.
Home and property also grew, up 3%, or 452,000, on last month’s figures. The chilly weather may have driven people inside and onto their devices, with entertainment websites and apps also up significantly in June. The average time spent online for the month was up 8.3%, with Australians consuming a considerable 129 minutes more on average than the previous month.
Travel category reaches biggest audience
The travel category recorded its biggest audience number so far for 2024 with tourist information seeing the largest jump by 3.5% to nearly 7.5 million, and hotel, resort and home sharing, which increased by 3.1% to nearly 7.9 million.
The rise was likely driven by the lead-up to the July school holidays, with many families seeking a mid-year break in the sunshine. End-of-year travel sales may also have contributed to the rise, as Aussies sought to secure a deal on their next holiday.
The chart below shows the Travel brands’ ranking during June 2024 by online audience size.
See also: Budgets, Aurora Australis, Singapore Airlines: News reached 96.7% of Aussies in May