Sen. Kamala Harris of California is leading the field of Democratic presidential candidates in capturing the public's attention during the opening wave of the 2020 campaign.

Why it matters: That puts Harris in a strong position to help set the Democratic primary agenda, much as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is doing for the House Democratic agenda.

The numbers from the past three months (Nov. 12–Feb. 12) say it all:

On Google, Harris was searched twice as often as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who were next closest, according to Google Trends.

Instagram interactions, according to CrowdTangle:

1. Harris: 8.3 million
2. Sanders: 4.6 million
3. Warren: 2 million

Twitter interactions, according to CrowdTangle (combining Senate and personal accounts):

1. Harris: 14.4 million
2. Sanders: 8 million
3. Warren: 4.1 million

The exception is Facebook, where Sanders gets much of his clout, according to CrowdTangle (combining Senate and personal accounts):

1. Sanders: 22.1 million
2. Harris: 2.4 million
3. Warren: 2.3 million

In the past three months, articles about Harris have generated 16.5 million interactions on Facebook and from shares on influential Twitter accounts, according to social media analytics company NewsWhip.

• That compares with 14.2 million for Warren and 10.6 million for Sanders.

Harris' follower growth across those platforms during the past three months has been striking:

• On Facebook, her main account has added 123,000 fans, per CrowdTangle. The next closest jump among 2020 competitors is Beto O'Rourke with 51,000.
• On Instagram, Harris has added 613,000 followers. The next closest spikes came from O'Rourke and Warren with 200,000 followers added.
• On Twitter, she has added 420,000 followers. Next closest is O'Rourke with 245,000.

The big picture: The size of the major social media platforms makes for a useful barometer of public opinion and interest. They also signal a level of enthusiasm that is difficult to capture with traditional polling.

Yes, but: Early polling indicates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sanders have the highest favorables among 2020 Democrats. But, this early in the cycle, those numbers are often just a sign of name recognition.

• Having already announced — or formed exploratory committees — Harris, Warren, and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar have benefited from announcement-driven spikes of interest. The others can expect that when it's their time — but Harris has dominated the attention well beyond her initial announcement.

The bottom line: President Trump showed in the 2016 campaign that the ability to generate attention and make the public care about you is a precious commodity. Maintaining that edge, more than fundraising totals or a ground game, could be the key for Harris in 2020.

Go deeper:

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has more Twitter power than media, establishment
• AOC, Beto: The 7 letters disrupting politics
• The fight Trump and AOC both want in 2020

Brands still make up the majority of revenue that flows into esports, even if not for direct brand sponsorships. In total, about 82% of the total market will come from brand investments that include sponsorships, but also media rights and advertising.

Yes, but: Like the traditional sports business market, the fastest-growing esports revenue stream is by far media rights. (It's worth noting, however, that the NewZoo estimate doesn't included winner pools, betting, etc.)

Be smart: The North American esports market, which represents roughly 40% of the global market, is by far the largest esports market globally today. China, whose tech giants invest heavily in building esports businesses and culture, is set to overtake western Europe as the second-largest region in terms of revenues this year.

Go deeper:

• Esports, the new social square
• China's esports ambitions
• Twitch's success is yet another example of Amazon's dominance

Why it matters: For Apple, subscriptions to news, video and other content are a way to grow revenue in an era of slowing iPhone sales. News publishers, too, want new revenue opportunities, but are mindful of giving away the store to a tech company.

Flashback: Similar concerns were raised the last time Apple tried to offer subscriptions as part of Newsstand, an attempt to sell individual publications for reading on iPads and other iOS devices.

Details: Apple told publishers it plans to take roughly half of subscribers' fees and then split the other half among participating news outlets based on story views, according to the WSJ.

Between the lines: Several publishing executives said that a 50% revenue-share agreement was way too high. Most, though, said Apple was probably just starting negotiations high.

• Even assuming Apple took a far lower cut, though, it's not clear the economics would be great for large publishers.
• The New York Times, for example, gets $15 per month for a non-discounted digital subscription. WSJ fetches close to $40 a month.
• It's not clear what Apple might charge, but it's hard to see it getting much more than that. Publishers would then face a high risk of losing existing customers to the service while likely collecting a much smaller amount from Apple.

Publishing execs also stressed their unwillingness to give up the business advantages of a direct relationship with customers.

• Data: With Apple News, Apple will own audience data and insights, as well as transaction data, leaving publishers less able to market to customers, whether for subscriptions or other revenue streams, like events or commerce. 
• Branding: On Apple News, publishers now give up a measure of design flexibility to fit Apple's formats and style, making it harder for them to stand out.
• Deja vu: Many news execs feel they've been through this before with Facebook — first with Instant Articles, then with Facebook Live: trade data and monetization opportunities for a chance to expand audience; end up with little if any of those things.

Yes, but: So far, Apple News' free offering has helped some publishers attract new readers to their content, even if it's not yet a clear money-maker. And one way or another, bundled news subscriptions look inevitable.

What’s next: Apple has a little over a month to get publishers on board before the announcement.