Gerard Kunkel and Chris Pizzurro are cable industry veterans who are looking toward a future that includes AI, mixed reality (XR), ad-tech and the broader evolution of the video/pay-TV industry.

Kunkel, a former Comcast and WorldGate exec, is a founder and managing partner of Next Media Partners, an executive advisory and consultancy focused on the intersection of media and technology, with an emphasis on areas such as AI and XR. Pizzurro, a former long-time exec with the cable-backed Canoe advertising joint venture, recently launched Leap Media Group, an independent television producer, distributor and advertising services company.

They recently struck a partnership that has Pizzurro representing Next Media Partners in advanced advertising, data technologies and immersive media experiences.

Kunkel and Pizzurro recently joined the Light Reading Podcast to discuss the partnership and share their thoughts on why the metaverse should not be counted out. They gave their impressions of the new (and pricey) Apple Vision Pro XR platform and what challenges lie ahead for video and a pay-TV marketplace that's become increasingly fragmented in the age of streaming.

Kunkel acknowledged that the metaverse has an image problem but said he believes the underlying technologies being developed will play a significant role in the years to come.

"The bloom is off that rose; the luster is gone; it's tainted – put whatever adjective you want around that. It's not pretty at the moment," Kunkel said of the metaverse sector. "But the underlying technologies that have made that all possible are extraordinary."

He said many of his clients are in the exploratory and experimentation stage with those underpinning technologies such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).

Both Kunkel and Pizzurro have high hopes for the impact of Apple's new mixed reality headset on the market, even if it won't be a mass-market phenomenon in the early going.

"This is the beginning for Apple," Kunkel said. "This is something that developers can wrap their arms around and start creating experiences."

Turning to advertising in an increasingly fragmented video and pay-TV world driven by streaming, Pizzurro said: "The market, as most people know, is a bit of a mess right now. People are trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But he actually needs to be better than he was before."

For a lightly edited transcript, click the closed caption button in the video toolbar. If you'd like to skip around and listen, here are some topics we cover:

— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading