Concerned about a lack of digital expertise, many public company boards are actively recruiting digital directors, who are often decades younger than their colleagues. The directors are pursued to advise management on digital marketing strategies, business alliances, recruitment and strategies involving mobile devices, social media, online sales, data analytics and more. The shift in corporate strategy has made digital experts a hot commodity. Continue reading Corporate Boards Are Turning to Young Digital Directors

The Associated Press revealed this week that the Justice Department secretly gathered two months worth of telephone records from its reporters and editors. AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt described the move as a “massive and unprecedented intrusion” into its news gathering operation. The seizure of records is reportedly part of a year-long investigation regarding possible leaks of classified materials about a failed al-Qaeda terror plot last year. Continue reading Justice Department Obtains AP Phone Records in Leak Probe

ESPN plans to post sports-related highlight videos on Twitter in the coming year. Sports fans can expect clips from soccer matches leading up to the World Cup, college football and the X Games. The videos will be made available on Twitter’s site and mobile apps shortly after the live television broadcasts. The collaboration is part of a bigger movement by TV networks and the microblogger to discover new approaches to advertising revenue. Continue reading ESPN and Twitter Expand Collaboration with Video Clips

Video tech company Unruly Media has released Vine metrics to coincide with the celebration of the mobile video app’s first 100 days. According to the research, five Vine videos are shared on Twitter every second and branded Vines are now four times more likely to be shared by users than branded online videos. Weekends are by far the most popular time to share Vines. To compile its report, Unruly Media collected data from more than 10 million Vines over a one-month period. Continue reading Twitter: Branded Vines Shared More Than Branded Videos

The World Wide Web Consortium published a working draft last week for Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), which is a proposed framework that enables delivery of DRM-protected media content via browsers without using plugins such as Flash or Silverlight. While the announcement has met with sharp criticism from groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Free Software Foundation, Ars Technica suggests the framework will help keep the Web relevant. Continue reading Will Proposed DRM Framework Keep the Web Relevant?

Google’s I/O developers conference kicks off tomorrow with a three-hour keynote from the Moscone Center in San Francisco. During the three-day event, the company is expected to announce an update to its Android mobile operating system and an updated version of its 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet (and possibly a new 11-inch model), while there has been speculation that Google may also unveil a new smartphone from Motorola, a new design for Google Maps, new Chrome features and more. Continue reading New Products and Updates: Google I/O Kicks Off Tomorrow

Occasionally we like to share information that is not necessarily about breaking news related to new products, services or industry trends — but more about innovation and inspiration. This is one of those stories. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recently made history when he performed a song co-written with Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson in the first Earth-to-Orbit musical performance. Now he’s released a music video of his version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” recorded from the International Space Station. Continue reading Making a Music Video from the International Space Station

ABC will upgrade its app for iPhones and iPads this week with a “live” button that will allow viewers in the New York and Philadelphia areas to live-stream local ABC programming. The live stream, which will also be offered via ABC-owned stations in six other cities this summer, will be made available only to cable and satellite subscribers. ABC is in talks with 200 affiliates to offer “live” in their markets as well. Continue reading ABC App to Offer Live Streams of TV Shows for Subscribers

As the upfronts roll out this week in New York City, television networks are facing new challenges: prime time ratings for major broadcasters have been dropping, ad spending is increasingly turning to cable, original programming from the likes of Amazon and Netflix are creating more competition, government regulators are seeking changes to spectrum allocation, and startups like Aereo may impact the subscription revenue of stations. Continue reading TV Networks Face Unprecedented Challenges in Digital Era

Palo Alto-based Boxfish released a new Android version of its second screen TV guide app last week. The Boxfish app, which first launched on iOS in August 2012, monitors conversations in real time based on nearly 1,000 U.S. channels in order to make TV searchable via key topics. The data that is analyzed by Boxfish could potentially one day power consumers’ DVRs and cable boxes. Since last year’s iOS launch, the company has been working to perfect the identification of topics. Continue reading Boxfish CEO Hopes Second Screen App Will Build Better TV

Veteran television writer/director/producer Ken Levine suggested on his blog last week that Big Hollywood has no business financing projects via Kickstarter, an approach he believes should be reserved for the little guy. He references actor/filmmaker Zach Braff, who has raised nearly $2.6 million through the crowdfunding site to finance “Wish I Was Here,” his follow-up to “Garden State.” Levine believes offering Braff money “defeats the whole purpose of Kickstarter.” Continue reading TV Veteran Questions Value of Kickstarting Known Artists

Social giant Facebook is in discussions to acquire mobile navigation service Waze, according to people familiar with the matter. The purchase price has been reported by some outlets as high as $1 billion, which would rival the amount Facebook paid last year to purchase mobile photo-sharing service Instagram. The Waze acquisition would provide Facebook with the opportunity to efficiently deliver local ads and content to its 1.1 billion users. Continue reading Facebook in Talks to Purchase Mobile Navigation Startup

The Entertainment Technology Center presented longtime Warner Bros. exec Chuck Dages with the Bob Lambert Technology Leadership Award during an industry gathering at USC’s Town & Gown Wednesday evening. The event also celebrated the first 20 years of ETC@USC and featured a studio technology leaders panel, during which execs discussed production and distribution challenges emerging from an evolving digital landscape. Continue reading Technology Leadership Award: ETC Honors Chuck Dages

Google’s YouTube yesterday unveiled its much anticipated paid-subscription channels, that will enable some of its video content partners to charge a monthly fee for access to programming. The channels could become a new revenue stream for the video site and its content partners. The subscription model has attracted producers who have been seeking an option to YouTube’s online advertising model. Continue reading New Model: YouTube Launches Paid Subscription Channels

Amazon is reportedly moving beyond its Kindle tablet line with the development of multiple CE devices aimed to compete more directly with Apple and Google. According to people familiar with the plans, the company is developing a range of new devices including two smartphones and an audio-only streaming device. The e-commerce giant is also working on its own set-top box for streaming video content. Continue reading Amazon Developing STB, Smartphones and Other Devices