THR’s 2010 Digital Power 50

Power doesn’t come easily in the digital content world.

Despite the buzz about the iPad or Foursquare, audiences and revenues generated by programming on PCs and wireless devices are still a pittance compared with such established media as film and TV. But, measured by the more intangible metric of influence, even the slightest innovation can portend big changes to come in the evolving media business.

Which makes the accomplishments of the 50 men and women highlighed in The Hollywood Reporter’s third annual Digital Power issue worth noting. To best reflect an industry sector that flouts tradition, Digital Power isn’t a traditional “power” list.

No amorphous quantifications of clout here; these simply are the people you need to watch if you want to stay abreast of how the content business is being revolutionized.

That guiding principle applies to execs at white-hot success stories like Twitter and turnaround specialists trying to work their magic on beleaguered assets like MySpace.

If there’s one quality that epitomizes all of these people, it’s ambition. Look no further than this year’s Digital Power Player honoree, David Eun, who left Google in March to head content efforts at AOL, a company that has reprioritized to make content its true focus.

If taking a business once known as the Internet’s gateway and remaking it into a Time Inc. for the 21st century doesn’t represent a power play, nothing does.