The Rise of Attention Metrics: Can a New Digital Currency Help Sustain Journalism?


July 17, 2017

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This new white paper from the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs provides key insights on the role of attention analytics in building a more sustainable business model for digital news publishers.

The report documents the rise of attention analytics, explores the current role of attention metrics in the newsroom and in display advertising sales, and offers analysis of what the future holds for time-based advertising transactions. It offers perspectives from professionals in digital analytics, advertising, and publishing, including practitioners at leading publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and the Financial Times. The findings suggest that certain types of publishers can benefit financially from trading on user attention rather than impressions.

About the Author

Brent Merritt recently completed a graduate fellowship at the George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. His work there focused on how digital technologies are changing the future of news media and strategic communications. He’s now an independent communications consultant at Metric Communications, where he helps organizations with messaging and analytics. Follow him on Twitter, @brentmerritt.