As TikTok and Instagram Reels rise in popularity, the 2024 Digital News Report has found that three in four (75%) of Australians say they have watched short online news videos.
This figure is followed by longer online videos (62%) and live online video streams (59%).
The report – released this week and led by the University of Canberra and Reuters Institute – also found that 16% of news consumers are daily users of short online news videos and 38% are weekly users.
While short-form news videos are proving to be a popular way of accessing news among Australians, Australia is still among countries with a lower proportion of consumers accessing online short-form news videos.
The report states that the top source of online news videos for Aussies is news websites or apps (23%) followed by Facebook (18%) and YouTube (16%).
A generational divide is also present in the use of different platforms for videos. Older generations use news websites or apps; 43% of Baby Boomers and older use news websites or apps compared to 10% of Gen Z.
Gen Z turns to YouTube (25%) and TikTok (20%).
The rising popularity of video for news is something that Seven’s newly-appointed news boss Anthony de Ceglie has said he wants to make the most of.
When video is “king”, he told Mediaweek a few days after being promoted to director of news and current affairs, and editor-in-chief, “that should be an advertiser’s and a marketer’s dream.”
“Looking at legacy media in traditional silos like TV, radio or print is a really antiquated and outdated idea,” he says.
“In 2024, it’s about bringing all of that together into one unified voice across all our assets, especially digital. Right now, for example, everyone agrees that video is king. Well, Seven West Media produces the best video in Australia every single day and night.
Kate Cox, head of content at Australian Community Media said video storytelling is not an add-on or afterthought, it leads the conversation.
“We will continue to invest because this is how audiences want to consume news,” she said.
“While the Digital News Report: Australia 2024 sensibly calls out short videos as the high performers in online news consumption, we will be rolling out a longer form video strategy, harnessing the high engagement of our subscribers.
“Given Meta’s decision to withdraw financial support for trusted Australian news content, the report says that news websites and apps are the primary sources for online news videos—followed by social media platforms.
“Trust in news sources correlates with higher consumption and those who pay for online news are more likely to access videos on news websites/apps.”