Chris Pfaff moderated an expert session – ‘Removing the Friction of Content Discovery on CTV’ – at the (virtual) Streaming Media Connect conference, on November 14, 2024, with the following panelists:

Chris Rodriguez, CCO – Revry

Monica Williams, SVP, Digital Products & Operations, Content Distribution – NBCUniversal

Gatsby Frimpong, Co-Founder & CEO – Gatsby TV

Katrina Kowalski, SVP, International Content Programming and Acquisitions – Pluto TV

The premise of the session was that today’s streaming providers deliver endless amounts of content, which can overwhelm viewers who are simply looking for something to watch. The content discovery process often takes far longer than viewers are willing to wait. FAST channels have the power to redefine content discoverability by using data to serve customers the content they want to watch and help them find new content based on prior viewing habits. FAST platforms have a vast amount of data available to them, but only a small amount of it is being used to its full potential. Incorporating viewership data into the content discoverability process can remove the pain points that have bubbled up in the new streaming landscape, lead to more engagement with the content, and open up more opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences. This session looks at the success of genre channels and provides attendees with insight into how they help their viewers find their content faster.

You can watch the full session at:

Chris Pfaff moderated the scintillating ‘SVOD: It’s Not Dead Yet’ virtual session at Streaming Media Connect 2022 on August 23, 2022 with Evan Shapiro, from ESHAP; Jennifer Kent, from Parks Associates, and Paul Pastor, from Struum.

The session discussed the slowdown in subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services, which has led some pundits to declare that the first act of the “streaming wars” is now over. SVOD, though, is in the middle of creative and licensing challenges, and customer retention – in the wake of advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) services – remains challenging. The panel discussed the way forward for SVOD providers, both large and small.

You can watch the full ‘SVOD: Is It Dead Yet?’ session at:

Chris Pfaff moderated the ‘Subscription Fatigue: Are There Too Many OTT Services?’ panel at Streaming Media West 2021 on November 1, 2021. An incredibly diverse panel that featured Jeff Allen, from ShortsTV; Jeanne Sachs, from Penthera; Rivka Golomb, from WarnerMedia, and Paul Pastor, from STRUUM.

You can view the entire session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLaKOgdHucQ

Chris Pfaff (upper row, 2nd from left); Jeff Allen (upper row, 2nd from right); Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen (upper row, far right); Jeanne Sachs (lower row, right); Rivka Golomb (lower row, middle), and Paul Pastor (lower row, right).