Paramount Digital Entertainment is putting together a team to produce original programming for digital platforms that will integrate global fashion and lifestyle brands. The studio says it is interested in "high-concept, genre-driven" fare aimed at the youth market. Alexandra Milchan and David van Eyssen have signed three-year contracts to produce the online programming. They will be working with former IMG executives Angelo Moratti and Massimo Redaelli on weaving products and brands into the content. Milchan is an independent producer of films including "Righteous Kill" and "Street Kings." Her father founded New Regency, where she worked for 14 …

Lexus is launching L Studio this week, an Internet-only branded channel stocked with original programming. It is headlined by "Friends" star Lisa Kudrow in a short-form comedy series "Web Therapy." The marketer-branded broadband channel brings back memories of Bud.TV, a similar venture Budweiser kicked off in 2006 only to watch it fail. "We learned from Bud's mistakes," says Lexus manager Sandy Blanchard. Innovation is the theme that is supposed to connect the channel's programming mix and the Lexus brand. "We look at ourselves as a broadband HBO," Blanchard says.

The Baltimore Sun is teaming up with the local CBS TV affiliate, which is not a Tribune-owned station, to share video and content. The two news organizations will share story leads and plan to partner on major journalistic projects. WJZ-TV will get billing of its major stories in each edition of the Sun. Likewise, the Sun will get daily promotion of its top stories in WJZ news broadcasts. "The Sun has the deepest daily print coverage of Maryland news and WJZ has a talented broadcast newsroom. The result will be a more comprehensive news report," says Tim Franklin, …

The financial markets are on the verge of implosion, but online video is still growing at a ridiculous rate, despite the lack of rich profits. It's a desperate time for any business with a financial in video content, particularly broadcast networks. But just because the dollars aren't flowing to online video, doesn't mean broadcasters can afford to cut off their digital media plans. Television networks must go where the viewers are -- the Internet, which has become their great white hope. If ad revenue slows down, it doesn't change that long-term reality. "This is the time for …

Marc Goldstein, CEO of GroupM North America, says many companies will not cut back on advertising in 2009, despite the troubled economy. Marketers may have finally taken heed to advice the media agencies have been doling out for years -- that in tough economic times, companies should continue to advertise to maintain market share. "Over time, clients have learned their lesson," he says. "They really do recognize that if they cut back on marketing now and lose share, it will be harder to recover and they have to eventually spend more to re-establish their brands."

Advertising represents less than 30% of the average marketer's communications budget. The rest goes to performance-based marketing, such as event marketing, public relations, direct marketing and consumer research. To get a bigger chunk of those non-advertising dollars will take innovation. At tech publisher IDG, only 40% of profits are generated by magazines, compared to 80% five years ago. "We used to use databases to drive subscriptions. Now, we use magazines to drive databases," for events and other profitable efforts, says Bob Carrigan, IDG president. Antony Young, president of Optimedia U.S., says to uncover innovations, his media agency …

Politico, which didn't even exist two years ago, plans to expand its print publication, beef up White House and congressional coverage, and increase staffing. The post-election expansion is designed to help the print and online news outlet position itself as a major political news source for daily newspapers. Just before the political conventions, Politico launched a content-sharing network and has signed up the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Philadelphia Inquirer and some smaller papers. Next year, Politico will increase print publication from three to four days while Congress is in session, boost circulation from about 27,000 to 32,000, and …