What happened to daily mail australia’s audience in January?

Ipsos Iris reported that daily mail australia lost about 2.5 million readers year on year in January, a 28.5% decline. The company’s UK parent cited reduced click-throughs from search AI overviews and added friction from a new partial paywall. Both factors likely cut sessions and ad impressions.

How do AI overviews impact publishers like daily mail australia?

When AI overviews answer queries on the results page, fewer users click to source articles. That lowers referral traffic, especially for lifestyle and entertainment topics. For daily mail australia, fewer high-intent visits mean fewer pages per session, reduced ad supply, and more pressure on open-exchange pricing.

Do Australian media paywalls help or hurt revenue?

Both can happen, depending on timing and execution. Early on, a paywall can reduce casual sampling and traffic, denting ad impressions. Over time, if pricing and messaging are right, subscriptions, first-party data, and higher revenue per user can offset losses and improve overall monetisation quality.

What should investors watch in Australian digital media after the Ipsos Iris rankings?

Focus on a few KPIs: subscription starts and churn, registered-user growth, email engagement, app installs, sell-through rates, revenue per visit, and time on page. Also watch commentary from peers in results calls. If trends mirror daily mail australia, expect more conservative ad guidance and faster subscription pivots.

Global Market Insights

February 26: Daily Mail Australia’s 28.5% Audience Drop Hits Ad Outlook

ByHuzaifa Zahoor February 26, 2026February 26, 2026

Daily Mail Australia is facing a sharp traffic setback that could weigh on digital ads. In January, Ipsos Iris data shows the site lost about 2.5 million readers year on year, a 28.5% drop. The publisher’s UK parent pointed to search AI overviews cutting click-throughs and a new partial paywall in Australia. For investors, the trend signals softer programmatic demand, more pressure on yields, and a faster shift toward subscriptions. We break down what this means for the Australian media market and what to watch next.