More than nine in 10 Australians consumed online news content in December, with 21.3 million people reaching news websites or apps, representing 96.5% of the online population. Users spent an average of 3.3 hours per month with news content.
The Bondi Beach terror attack received significant local news coverage throughout December.
Other major local stories included the Tom Silvagni trial and rape conviction, AFL player Lachie Neale's marriage breakdown, the Ashes cricket series, and the AFL trading season and draft picks.
International news interest centred on British Royal family developments, the death of film director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, ongoing Jeffrey Epstein file releases, Premier League football fixtures and league tables, and the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua boxing match.
Ipsos iris data showed 22.127 million Australians aged 14+ used the internet in December, spending an average of 4.68 hours per day online, up 1.7% compared to December 2024.
The most consumed categories were Search Engines (22.05 million), Social Networking (22.04 million), Online Media (21.9 million), Technology (21.9 million), and Retail and Commerce (21.8 million).
Almost every Australian online visited retail and commerce websites in December, with Ipsos iris data showing 21.79 million people, or 98.5% of the online population aged 14+, engaged with e-commerce platforms as an extended sales period that began in October reached its peak.
The latest figures from Australia's digital audience measurement currency reveal Australians spent around 7.9 hours consuming retail and commerce content last month, equating to more than 15 minutes daily, as Christmas demand and sustained promotional activity drove engagement.
While retail dominated overall reach, the career category led year-on-year growth for December with a 6.6% increase, followed by homes and property up 6.2%, health rising 3.9%, and both social networking and entertainment growing 3.4%.
The strong performance in career and property reflects seasonal patterns as Australians look ahead to new opportunities in the year ahead and consider housing decisions during the summer period.
Female consumers accounted for 52.4% of the retail and commerce audience in December, compared to men at 47.6%.
Within retail subcategories, beverages surged nearly 20% month-on-month, climbing from 7.6 million in November to 9.1 million in December. Beauty maintained momentum with a 4% lift from 8.1 million to 8.4 million users, while books and literature jumped 6.4%.
Ipsos iris provides accurate data about digital content consumption across smartphone, PC/laptop and tablet devices, using a hybrid methodology endorsed by IAB Australia as the country's digital audience measurement currency.
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