On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Augmented World Expo (AWE) U.S. at the Long Beach Convention Center, Chris Pfaff appeared on a session – ‘Reality Creator Economy: XR and AI Collide to Unlock Massive New Frontiers in Reality Commercialization’ – that was moderated by Yu Yuan from MASA, and – in addition to Pfaff – featured Ben Erwin, from the Academy of Immersive Arts and Sciences, and Julie Smithson from METAVRSE and XR Women.

You can watch the full session at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkVM0B_UtnU

As XR platforms evolve from niche experiments to mainstream destinations, creators must navigate a complex landscape of revenue models—from virtual goods and subscription tiers to brand partnerships and platform revenue shares. This session will survey today’s proven monetization strategies for XR experience and content creators, then look ahead to the transformative potential of Generative AI and Agentic AI, including automated content generation, AI-driven personalization, and autonomous digital agents that can extend creators’ reach. We’ll also explore how collaborative metaverse and virtual world ecosystems—where thousands of creators co-build immersive spaces—can implement fair, transparent reward mechanisms. Join us to understand how creators can thrive today and shape tomorrow’s XR economy.

On Thursday, May 22, 2025, Chris Pfaff moderated a virtual session for Streaming Media Connect, ‘Going, Going Gone: Can Biddable Advertising Fix CTV’s Fill Rate Slump?’

Laura Florence, with Fremantle; Tim Ware, from Future Today Marketplace; Christina Chung, from Estrella MediaCo, and Jack Perry, from Zeam Media, discussed different aspects of the CTV ad fill slump. Jack Perry also discussed his innovative Super Bowl ad with John Stamos.

You can watch the full session at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l5mLjtfdlA&list=PLcSb1s2U3uyDUGBfZ3-JMRf2QqSeflTyB&index=13

THU5. Going, Going, Gone: Can Biddable Advertising Fix CTV’s Fill Rate Slump?
Thursday, May 22: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (ET)/1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (PT)

With FAST and CTV fill rates slipping throughout 2024 (except for a brief election bump), content owners and their partners are casting about for new and different ways to fill inventory. By clearing the way for advertisers to buy in just before show time rather than having to lock in their campaigns months in advance, so-called “real-time” biddable CTV opens up late-breaking, flexible opportunities to unload unclaimed inventory on an auction basis before it goes to waste. But as bidding on audiences reportedly surges for sports, is auction-based advertising really suitable for other premium content? Is it likely to change the way brands approach media-buying, or is it just another transitory trend?

Moderator: Chris Pfaff, CEO, Chris Pfaff Tech Media

Panelists:
Laura Florence, SVP, Global Channels, Fremantle
Christina Chung, VP, Business Operations, Estrella MediaCo
Tim Ware, VP, Future Today Marketplace
Jack Perry, CEO, Zeam Media

Chris Pfaff moderated the tech track session ‘Immersive Sound: How to Create Powerful Experiences’ on Thursday, March 13th from 11:30-12:30 pm in Salon K of the Hilton Austin Downtown with some of the industry’s leading next-gen audio experts, including Google’s Jani Huoponen, group product manager for immersive audio, Mirko Vogel, general manager, Canada, for Vaudeville Sound Group, and Sylvana Levy, founder of SLX Group.

Jani Huoponen detailed the development of Eclipsa, the audio format born out of the Open Media Alliance’s Immersive Audio Models & Formats (IAMF) specification for next-generation immersive audio.

Mirko Vogel detailed Vaudeville Sound Group’s approach to immersive audio for a range of media formats.

Sylvana Levy discussed producing immersive audio for experiential installations.

You can watch the entire session at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2g1VBkO29k

SXSW 2025 PANEL

IMMERSIVE SOUND: HOW TO CREATE POWERFUL EXPERIENCES

Immersive sound enables unparalleled connections between users and enhances experiences. A new generation of immersive sound technology includes sound objects, which are multichannel sound files captured and designed with specific techniques. These 3D sound environments complement visual experiences with immersive, or spatial, audio that enhances a wide range of industry products and services, including virtual and augmented reality, auditory healing for healthcare, architecture design, automotive design, media, entertainment, and many others.

Chris Pfaff moderated an expert virtual panel for Streaming Media Connect, on February 27, 2025, ‘App, Crackle, Pop: What a Video App Really Needs,’ with Bruno Giner, NPAW; Ankit Awasthi, Amazon Prime; Deirdre Magrane, Tubi; Tom Hurlbutt, Crunchyroll, and Jason Williams, Plex.

The session discussed the product considerations and technical issues surrounding app development for video publishers. You can watch the full session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-jpftHBl9M&list=PLcSb1s2U3uyDMnUvP0RMv0WnVwp25b6OS&index=15

Chris Pfaff moderated the ‘Now It’s Personal: AI and Streaming Personalization’ panel at the virtual Streaming Media Connect conference, on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. The expert panel featured Chris Regina, CCO, TCL; Shobana Radhakrishnan, sr. dir., engineering, GoogleTV, Arash Pendari, founder/creative director, Vionlabs AB. and Alex Gruber, chief product officer, Deltatre.

You can watch the full session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RvJ4JUPhIY&list=PLcSb1s2U3uyA8AMciRoww3BTj6QwoOQII&index=4&t=503s

‘NOW IT’S PERSONAL: AI AND STREAMING PERSONALIZATION’

Many of the ways AI is poised to alter the streaming ecosystem happen behind the scenes, involving the streamlining of workflows or the automation of repetitive production or delivery tasks. But AI also has the potential to transform viewing experiences, making them more personal and immersive. The panel explores what’s possible and what’s probable and how we can expect to see AI’s real-world impact on streaming experiences take shape in the months and years to come.

Chris Pfaff moderated the ‘Disrupting Fast Fashion and Saving the World’ panel at the Digital Fashion Week New York conference, on Saturday, September 7th, at 2:00 pm in the Canvas 3.0 Gallery in the World Trade Center, in New York City. 

Check out the intro clip to the panel at: https://youtu.be/mIR8DRy2uns

Check out a longer 10-minute clip of the panel at: https://youtu.be/bWal0tMi4R0

Chris Pfaff with Tatiana Alexa and Clare Tattersall

Panelists included: Krishnan Sangameswaran, from The F*Word, Miguel Huidor, from NICESTUFF Clothing, Ben Erwin, from Power Simple, and Tatiana Alexa, from Sangrove. 

Chris Pfaff with Krishnan Sangameswaran, Ben Erwin, Tatiana Alexa, and Miguel Huidor

Chris Pfaff (left) and the crowd at DFW NYC (right)

Topics included; What technologies can we leverage to disrupt fast fashion from the ground up? Disrupting Hype — Creating Meaningful Consumer Relationships). 

The XR crowd at DFW NYC, including Alex Coulombe, Robin Moulder, Michael Ferraro

Panel descriptor:

From virtual runways to digital printing on fabrics to NFTs and beyond, the digital fashion world has exploded since the pandemic. In this session, we will discuss how digital fashion can disrupt the traditional fast fashion model and create a more sustainable (and potentially more profitable) fashion ecosystem.

Clare Tattersall, Miguel Huidor, Tatiana Alexa, Ben Erwin, Krishnan Sangameswaran, and Chris Pfaff

Chris Pfaff moderated the SXSW 2024 panel – ‘How Immersive Sound Can Deliver Powerful Experiences’ – on Friday, March 15th at the Hilton Austin Downtown, with an expert panel consisting of Mirko Vogel, from Vaudeville Sound Group; Jani Houponen, from Google, and Sylvana Levy, from XRAgency.

Vogel discussed the use of ambisonics in designing immersive audio for a range of projects, including Vaudeville’s creation of the industry’s largest immersive sound library, for Shutterstock; immersive audio for VR, including a music video with artist Whipped Cream; the ‘AmazingWar Stories’ podcast, and more.

Huoponen discussed Google’s immersive audio work, including the Alliance for Open Media’s recent Immersive Audio Models and Formats (IAMF) specification, a major advance in immersive audio design.

Levy demonstrated her immersive audio work on hybrid virtual/live installations for venues.

The audience was also treated to Vaudeville’s IAMF-designed forest audio, which simulated multiple speakers for bird noises and environmental sounds.

You can listen to the full panel at:

https://vimeo.com/928115672/7d2e77e132?share=copy

Chris Pfaff moderated an all-star session – ‘Successful Strategies for Growing and Monetizing Your Streaming Service’ – on the virtual Streaming Media Connect conference, produced by Streaming Media Magazine, on February 22, 2024 that discussed strategies for curating content, maintaining audiences, and growing new channels.

Joining Chris were panelists Rene Santaella, Chief Digital & Streaming Officer, Estrella Media; Matt Farina, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal; Eric Sorensen, Director, Streaming Video Research, Parks Associates; Smriti Sharma, Head, Consumer Insights, Publishers Clearing House, and Julia Moonves, SVP, Advertising Sales & Brand Partnerships, pocket.watch.

You can view the entire panel session at:

The leaders in sports tech – from biofeedback to AR/VR to data for rehab and load management – gathered on Wednesday, November 15th at Citi Field in New York City for the Upside Sports Tech Summit. Chris Pfaff moderated an all-star panel – ‘The Future of Digital in Sports’  – which included:

• Stevland Wilson, VP, Postproduction, Design & Animation, Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE)
• Orlando Lewis, Head of Partnerships, Sorare
• James Giglio, CEO, MVP Interactive
• Jed Corenthal, Chief Marketing Officer, Phenix
• Bobby Basham, Director Baseball Innovation, Chicago Cubs (MLB)
• Matt Miesnieks, CEO, Living Cities
• Kristin Boggiano, Co-founder & President TurnKeyTix

You can watch the entire session at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRfNXuAWlAo

Chris Pfaff outside Citi Field

‘The Future of Digital in Sports’ panel (l to r): Orlando Lewis, Sorare; James Giglio, MVP Interactive; Bobby Basham, Chicago Cubs; Kristin Boggiano, TurnkeyTix; Stevland Wilson, Monumental Sports & Entertainment; Jed Corenthal, Phenix, and Chris Pfaff

The event convened 100 teams (including the New York Yankees, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Vikings, New York Liberty, Boston Red Sox, Atletico de Madrid, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Cubs), sports associations (La Liga, English Premier League, NBA, NCAA), and innovators (NeuFit, MVP Interactive, Living Cities, Brainlit, DraftKings) over the course of the day.

Speakers included Tom Ryan, VP of strategy and head of NBA Launchpad; Meredith McPherron, CEO, Drive by DraftKings; Rahal Letterman, Lanigan Racing; Alex Rodrigo, SVP/GM, Sacramento Kings; Kyle Harris, CEO, Brainlit; Scott Riewald, manager, MiLB performance development, Boston Red Sox; Dr. Ola Eriksrud, co-founder, 1080 Motion; Carlos del Barrio, Atletico de Madrid; Dr. Marco Nunez, former head athletic trainer, Los Angeles Lakers; Konrad von Moltke, principal, investment arm of the Wilf family (owners of NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, and Orlando City MLS/NWSL), and Andrew Hippert, investment principal, NY Techstars sports accelerator.

Tom Butts (left) and Chris Pfaff (right) at the virtual tvtech Summit – March 29, 2023

Chris Pfaff was the keynote speaker at TV Technology’s tvtech Summit, a virtual half-day event on March 29, 2023 that featured leaders in the production technology industry, in a conversation with TV Technology editor-in-chief Tom Butts. Titled ‘Why You Should Care About the Metaverse,’ the March 29th conversation dove into topics regarding persistent computing, VR and AR, and some definitional discussion over the course of 30 minutes.

You can watch the entire discussion at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzk61rqUEhc&t=3s

Tom Butts wrote this preview (see below) in TV Technology, which was published on March 23, 2023.

On Wednesday, March 29, TV Tech will be holding its Spring TV Tech Summit, a series of keynote conversations, panel discussions and case studies covering the latest advances in Media and Entertainment tech.

Opening the summit, TV Tech Editor in Chief Tom Butts will talk with Chris Pfaff, founder of Chris Pfaff Tech/Media LLC, and a leading new media and technology producer and strategist on “Why You Should Care about the Metaverse.”

Chris’s 30+ year background in the industry makes him uniquely qualified to speak about this technology which (some would characterize) as “emerging” for more than a decade.

For those of us who think the metaverse is just another name for virtual reality, Chris is ready to debunk that trope.

“The metaverse is a shared decentralized digital space where you can meet, create and share a personalized experience,” he said. “But you can do that in  virtual reality and in other technologies as well. And I think that someday soon, perhaps not that many years from now we will have more projectable holograms that will reflect how people currently view the future of the metaverse.

“What makes the metaverse different from virtual reality is that it has to be immersive and it has to be persistent,” Chris added. “It has to have some community which may have some connections to what you experience in the physical world. It doesn’t have to be a simulacrum of what you do in the physical world where you are just ‘layering on.’”

Making the metaverse more immersive is key, not just to entertain us but to educate us as well, Chris says

“For example, if you were studying meteorology or cosmology and somebody was teaching you about the stratosphere and the ionosphere, using the metaverse to provide a more fully immersive kind of experience could really revolutionize the way we communicate and teach,” he added.