Analytics startup FiscalNote has announced it will begin a series of partnerships with well-known media brands to increase its brand awareness and multimedia offerings. FiscalNote is currently in talks with Vox Media, overseen by General Atlantic, to form a partnership that will allow Vox to use FiscalNote’s legislative tracking platform and data in its content.
Anton Levy, Managing Director and Global Head of General Atlantic’s Internet & Technology sector, said that “Vox Media represents one of the most attractive opportunities for capitalizing on a clear and important secular trend that is still in its early innings: the general shift in news, entertainment, and content distribution and consumption driven by global social connectivity and increasing smartphone penetration.”
FiscalNote co-founder and CEO Tim Hwang emphasized FiscalNote’s desire to move forward with using its legislative tracking and analytics to capitalize on the changing media landscape and to help publications tell data-driven stories. They hope to provide affordable, fast access to data to allow content producers to create their work more quickly and efficiently.
The payment model is likely to be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on what the content publishers need. Some agreements will be subscription-based, while others may allow the content producers to retain the information up front with a one-time fee ranging from $500 to $2,500. Once the information is sold, FiscalNote will have no say in how it’s used.
General Atlantic’s interest in Vox Media has already allowed the multimedia company to expand its seven media brands, including Vox Creative, the company’s in-house marketing solutions unit. Vox currently operates SB Nation (sports), The Verge (tech/lifestyle), Vox.com (general news), Eater (dining/nightlife), Racked (fashion/shopping), Curbed (home/real estate), and Polygon (gaming). Their target audience is young, media-savvy individuals wanting to stay on top of the latest trends.
While FiscalNote’s other potential partners are unknown at this time, Vox Media has been specifically cultivating agreements with popular YouTube stars such as Marques Brownlee, whose YouTube channel MKBHD will be featured in a series on The Verge.
