Category: Content & Media

The Growing Importance of Overlay Sales Roles in Broadcast, Sports and Media Technology

One of the biggest themes emerging from conversations across the media and sports technology industry, particularly at events like NAB 2026 and MPTS, is the growing importance of overlay sales functions.

As technology ecosystems become more connected and solution-led, traditional regional sales structures are evolving. Vendors are no longer selling single-point products into clearly defined workflows. Instead, organisations are delivering broader platforms that combine cloud infrastructure, IP workflows, orchestration, monitoring, SaaS capabilities and managed services. As a result, buying journeys are becoming more technical, consultative and cross-functional.

This shift is driving increased demand for overlay sales professionals who can bridge the gap between product expertise, commercial strategy and customer workflow conversations.

---

What Is an Overlay Sales Function?

An overlay sales role typically focuses on a specialist product area or strategic solution rather than a geographic territory. These individuals often work closely with account executives, solutions engineers, channel partners and leadership teams to support complex opportunities and ensure key technologies receive focused commercial attention.

In media and sports technology, these roles are becoming increasingly important as vendors expand beyond traditional hardware offerings into software, cloud and workflow-based solutions.

---

Why Media Technology Sales Strategies Are Changing

What makes these roles increasingly valuable is the changing nature of customer conversations. In sports and media technology especially, organisations are no longer simply investing in hardware. Buyers are evaluating long-term workflows, infrastructure strategies and operational transformation. This requires a more consultative approach, with customers expecting vendors to understand technical environments as well as commercial outcomes.

At the same time, many of the industry’s key growth areas sit within more complex technology categories. Technologies such as IP infrastructure, cloud production, ST 2110, SaaS workflows and managed services often involve longer sales cycles, multiple stakeholders and greater integration requirements than traditional broadcast products.

Traditional Revenue Areas	Strategic Growth Areas
SDI infrastructure	IP and cloud workflows
Hardware solutions	SaaS and services
Baseband systems	ST 2110 and IPMX
Broadcast engineering	IT and network convergence

Overlay functions are increasingly helping organisations navigate this transition by providing deeper workflow expertise and supporting strategic customer engagement earlier in the sales process.

---

The Convergence of Broadcast, AV and Enterprise IT

Another major factor influencing this trend is the continued convergence between broadcast, AV and enterprise IT. A modern stadium, venue or live production deployment may now involve broadcast engineers, IT teams, AV integrators, operations leadership and cloud specialists all within the same project.

As environments become more interconnected, organisations are placing greater value on commercial professionals who can confidently navigate technical and operational discussions across multiple stakeholder groups.

This is particularly relevant within:

• Live production
• Sports broadcasting
• IP migration projects
• Venue technology deployments
• Cloud-based media workflows

---

Why Overlay Sales Roles Are Becoming More Strategic

We are also seeing increased focus on partner ecosystems. Systems integrators, consultants and managed service providers are playing a larger role in complex infrastructure projects, particularly around venue builds, REMI production and IP migration initiatives.

Overlay functions often support these relationships by helping align technical messaging, workflow education and go-to-market strategy across partner networks.

From a commercial perspective, overlay structures can help organisations improve visibility around strategic product lines, strengthen customer credibility and support broader platform selling initiatives. Rather than focusing on individual products, many vendors are now positioning integrated workflows and end-to-end ecosystems, making specialist commercial support increasingly important.

---

The Future of Sales in Sports and Media Technology

Like any evolving structure, success depends on clear alignment internally. The most effective overlay models are highly collaborative, working alongside regional sales teams to elevate customer engagement and accelerate strategic growth areas.

What is clear from ongoing market conversations is that the role of the modern sales organisation within media technology is changing. As workflows become more sophisticated and technology stacks continue to converge, the ability to combine commercial expertise with technical understanding is becoming a significant differentiator.

Overlay sales functions are quickly moving from being a specialist addition to becoming a core part of how media and sports technology businesses scale complex solutions globally.

---

Looking to Hire Commercial Talent in Media Technology?

At neuco, we work closely with organisations across media, broadcast and sports technology to help build high-performing commercial teams that can support increasingly complex technology environments.

Whether you are hiring overlay sales specialists, solutions-focused commercial leaders or building broader go-to-market functions, we would be happy to support the conversation.

📩 hello@neuco-group.com

The Media & Sports Technology landscape continues to move at pace, with broadcasters, streaming platforms, rights holders and vendors all adapting to changing audience behaviours and increasingly complex production demands.

Each quarter, our team at neuco looks across the market to identify the companies we feel are generating the most interesting momentum. That can come through product innovation, strategic partnerships, leadership moves, expansion into new markets or simply the wider conversations we’re hearing from the industry itself.

From AI-powered production tools and cloud-native workflows to remote production, IP infrastructure and content monetisation, the market continues to evolve rapidly and these are some of the businesses that have particularly caught our attention heading into Q2 2026.

As always, this is subjective. There are many companies doing exceptional work across the media ecosystem, but based on our conversations and market exposure, these are the names we believe are worth keeping an eye on this quarter.

The Q2 2026 Companies to Watch

• Qvest
• Appear
• NAGRAVISION
• LiveU
• Riedel
• Lawo
• Synamedia
• Vizrt
• Fonn Group

With AI, cloud workflows and live production transformation continuing to shape the market, these are the companies we feel are worth watching closely this quarter.

---

Qvest

A global systems integrator and consulting partner, Qvest is sharpening its strategic direction through leadership and regional expansion.

The appointment of Thorsten Sauer as CEO signals a renewed focus on scaling advisory and delivery capabilities. Alongside this, the expansion of its MENA sales team strengthens proximity to key clients in one of the industry’s fastest-growing markets.

Together, these developments reflect a clear ambition to deepen customer engagement while supporting increasingly complex transformation programmes across broadcast, OTT and enterprise media environments.

---

Appear

Appear continues to push the boundaries of live production infrastructure through a series of product innovations and high-profile deployments.

Enhancements to its X Platform and the introduction of Appear Hub are enabling more flexible and scalable IP workflows. Involvement in major live events, including NBC Sports’ winter coverage, alongside partnerships with LTN and advancements in YouTube live delivery, underline its growing influence across the market.

Combined with a strengthened executive team, Appear is positioning itself as a key technology partner for broadcasters looking for low-latency, high-performance video transport.

---

NAGRAVISION

NAGRAVISION is continuing to strengthen its position in content protection and streaming security through a combination of commercial growth and strategic partnerships.

Strong annual results demonstrate continued demand for its solutions, while collaborations with the English Football League are tackling the growing challenge of live sports piracy. Expanded deployments of TVKey Cloud with OSN and Samsung are also accelerating secure content delivery across connected TV ecosystems.

These developments highlight NAGRAVISION’s ability to balance innovation with commercial execution across an increasingly fragmented and competitive content landscape.

---

LiveU

LiveU is advancing its role in IP-video contribution and cloud production with a clear focus on AI-enabled performance and workflow flexibility.

Its LiveU IQ solution has supported connectivity optimisation during major global sporting events, helping deliver reliable transmission in dynamic environments. Collaboration with ITVX on cloud production for digital-first content also demonstrates expansion beyond traditional broadcast models.

Alongside this, growing adoption within public safety applications signals diversification into mission-critical communications, positioning LiveU at the intersection of media, cloud and real-time data delivery.

---

Riedel

Riedel continues to expand its global footprint while investing in leadership and innovation across live production technologies.

The appointment of Jan Schaffner to lead the Americas business supports wider regional growth ambitions, complemented by expansion into emerging markets such as Kuala Lumpur. Its presence at major industry events, including VISAR 2025, showcases ongoing developments in real-time signal distribution and decentralised production workflows.

Together, these moves reinforce Riedel’s position as a trusted partner for complex, large-scale live event and broadcast environments.

---

Lawo

Lawo is entering a new phase of growth following the appointment of Jamie Dunn as CEO, signalling a fresh strategic direction for the business.

The company continues to demonstrate the strength of its IP-based solutions, with successful deployment of its S12 platform across live production environments. These implementations highlight the scalability and flexibility of its AoIP architecture, supporting more efficient and distributed workflows.

As broadcasters increasingly transition towards software-defined infrastructure, Lawo appears well positioned to support that evolution with proven, high-performance technologies.

---

Synamedia

Synamedia is strengthening its position in cloud video delivery through continued enhancements to its Gravity platform and strategic content partnerships.

New capabilities in Wi-Fi diagnostics and device intelligence are improving both user experience and operational visibility. At the same time, collaborations with Pitch International and A-Sport are supporting scalable, cloud-based distribution of premium sports content, including major football competitions.

These initiatives demonstrate Synamedia’s ability to combine analytics, delivery and monetisation in ways that support broadcasters and rights holders navigating an increasingly competitive streaming market.

---

Vizrt

Vizrt is continuing to expand beyond traditional broadcast through AI-driven production tools and enhanced audience engagement capabilities.

Its integration of augmented reality functionality within platforms such as Zoom is enabling more immersive corporate communications, while the launch of new sports production bundles is simplifying access to advanced workflows across different customer segments.

By combining real-time graphics, automation and cloud-native technologies, Vizrt is helping organisations deliver more engaging and efficient content experiences across both media and enterprise environments.

---

Fonn Group

Fonn Group continues to scale its cloud-native media technology ecosystem through strategic hires and partnerships.

The appointment of Andy Newton strengthens leadership across its portfolio, supporting growth ambitions for both its Mimir and Saga platforms. Partnership activity with Netorium is also enhancing the delivery of integrated, cloud-based media workflows, helping customers manage content more efficiently across distributed environments.

As demand for flexible and scalable media infrastructure continues to rise, Fonn Group is positioning itself as an important enabler of next-generation content management and production workflows.

---

Final Thoughts

The shift towards cloud infrastructure, software-defined workflows, AI-assisted production and more personalised viewer experiences continues to reshape the Media & Sports Technology sector at every level.

What stands out across all of these companies is the ability to adapt to changing operational demands while continuing to innovate around scalability, latency, automation and audience engagement. Whether through live production, streaming delivery, cybersecurity or workflow orchestration, each business is contributing to a broader transformation happening across the industry.

Of course, there are many other organisations driving meaningful change across the space, and this list reflects the companies that have particularly stood out to our team during Q2 2026.

If your business is building something exciting across broadcast, streaming, sports technology or content delivery, we’d love to hear more. Feel free to reach out to the team at hello@neuco-group.com.

Article brought to you by neuco, global specialists in recruitment and executive search across Media, Sports Technology and Content & Broadcast.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are important aspects of people functions within the content and media industry. Even over the last 5 years, there have been significant changes in the sector. On Episode 38 of The Content & Media Matters Podcast, we spoke with Krystal Brendel, the Vice President of People at Quickplay, about how companies can recruit and retain more diverse teams. Read on for her insights. 

“A really big thing, especially in video tech, is that when you think about labour, you think of it as one big thing. But, within labour, there are lots of different things to consider. People don’t have the right experience. Let’s say I’m looking for someone with 10 years of OTT experience. Quickplay is a remote company where people still have to report to the office sometimes, so we’re not fully remote. That means that the people we can work with are an even smaller group. There isn’t always a lot of diversity within that group. 

My inclination is to look at how we can change the front end in the long term, because I might not be able to find all of these wonderful, diverse people who can contribute to the next iteration of our platform, with 10 to 15 years of OTT experience, who are open to our working model. I can’t create them from nothing. I’m not a magician. What I can do is think about how I can connect with people who are starting on the right path to be employed by us one day. 

How can I create paths into the front end in tech? I make sure that I’m partnering with organizations or communities that maybe aren’t aware of the video tech space. We partner with an organization in Toronto called the ONYX INITIATIVE, and their sole purpose is to partner with college graduates from the black community in Canada and connect them with companies that are looking for talent. They help these graduates create spaces outside of just looking for a job. All the ONYX scholars go through an introductory process that gives them soft-skill training and professional communication experience. 

They also have mentorship programs, internship partnerships and career fairs that we have participated in. That builds brand recognition with these graduates. Every summer, we hire a few ONYX interns, bring them in and get them to participate in technical and non-technical teams. It’s not as easy as saying we’re going to hire diverse candidates and check this box, because you also want to hear the person who is going to do the job the best. We’re planting seeds and investing in the future of the industry.”

To hear more from Krystal, tune into Episode 38 of The Content & Media Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

Change is a fundamental part of the content and media industry. But how can people and companies adapt to those changes without losing touch with where they started? On Episode 37 of The Content & Media Matters Podcast, we spoke with Mitch Askenas, the Executive Director, Video Platform – Head of Commercial, Americas at Comcast Technology Solutions, about how he has been handling changes in his company recently, and his advice for anyone who is going through something similar. Read on for his insights. 

How has the industry changed over the years since you joined?

The industry has evolved tremendously overall, but fundamentally, viewers still want to watch content. Back in the day, content was provided to you on a traditional television channel, and you watched what was delivered to you. Over time, there have been inventions that have allowed us to watch content on demand, first on VHS tapes and DVDs, and then on streaming platforms. The industry has thoroughly evolved from a push media to a medium where viewers can watch what they want, when they want, where they want, and how they want to watch it. 

How have you adapted to those changes over your time in the industry as well?

Well, adapting is fun. You adapt by trying to invent new processes, and that’s both on the engineering side and on the selling side. In my career, I’ve evolved from being an engineer and inventing and running engineering teams to moving into the sales world and managing sales teams, but in both roles, I’ve still had to adapt to change. 

Adapting to change is the key to success across everyone’s career and everyone’s business, but many things don’t change at all. Things like selling your ideas will always stay the same. Whether you’re an engineer or a salesperson, your job is to get your ideas sold to your audience, which can be your management team or your customers. The fact that we have to sell our ideas hasn’t changed, even though the things that we sell have. Some things always stay the same, even while things change. It’s been fun learning that, but I had to learn it mostly on my own. 

From an industry perspective, it has been great to see where new technologies were going to take us, but I never knew if the industry was ready to embrace them. I think circumstances change, and everybody’s embracing the change of allowing viewers and subscribers to access content wherever, whenever. The key to all this is, how do you make money doing that with your content? The challenge of the industry today is ‘How do you monetise the huge amount of content in your library?’

How do you stay motivated throughout those challenges?

Times of change are actually times of opportunity. The question is, how do you embrace that opportunity? For me, change is exciting. It means things are moving forward. Typically, they’re opportunities to do new things and to be part of that change. To me, that’s a huge motivation. If you can muster that mindset and bring those change opportunities forward, especially to your customers, you can help them see that they can be part of the change and be successful as a result. 

Yes, it’s hard, there’s no question about it, but if you’re always thinking about your customers rather than what the thing you’re selling is, you’ll help them make their business better. Especially in times of change, keeping their business moving forward, and helping them figure out how to weather those storms, creates an opportunity to find synergy between your two companies. That’s how it’s an opportunity. 

What tips would you now pass on that have worked for you and your team?

Everybody, no matter what position they’re in, has great ideas. The real question is, how do you get those ideas promoted? Early in my career, when I came up with those great ideas, they were all about me. When I would go and talk about them, they never really resonated because it was all about me. Thankfully, a wise person in my past told me, ‘Don’t make it about yourself. Make it about them.’ That was the seminal moment of learning how to sell. It didn’t matter that it was my idea, it was all about them. When I changed my mindset to figure out how what I was selling could provide value and success to the people I was talking to, everything changed. 

Selling is about three things. Number one is showing the potential customer that the risk of change is much lower than the risk of staying the same. The second is to demonstrate to the buyer why they’re going to be personally successful if they invest in you. The last one is don’t tell them what it is and don’t tell them what it does. Instead, focus on what it means to their business. If you can accomplish those three things, you will be more successful.

To hear more about keeping up with the changes in the industry, tune into Episode 37 of The Content & Media Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

AI has enabled the sports media sector to give viewers unparalleled access to behind-the-scenes and additional content. On Episode 36 of The Content & Media Matters Podcast, Elliot Renton, the SVP of Asia Pacific at Magnifi, joined us to share his own inside look at what’s happening behind the scenes of the sports media sector. He explained how AI is shaping the future of sports media, as well as sharing his predictions for how Magnifi will be helping to shape that future directly. Read on for more. 

How do you see AI shaping how fans experience sports, both live and digitally? 

I actually think we’re underestimating the role of AI in sports. I think it will penetrate every facet of the industry over time. It’s already impacting fan engagement and how we’re delivering content through the back-end workflows. Stadiums, ticketing, coaching, and players’ wearable technology are all workflows that can link together on top of what we’re doing in broadcast and social media. I think we will be looking back in a decade’s time at the role of AI, and as long as it’s been deployed responsibly and done in the right way, we’ll be looking at looking back at it as a transformative technology, just like the smartphone has been. Some areas are going to be slower than others, and you’re still going to need the human element, but I think as a technology for the sports industry, AI will continue to be very impactful in the future. 

What is Magnifi’s vision for revolutionising how we interact with sports content?

We as a business are about four years old and have grown from India to become a US-India business that’s doing some fantastic revenues. We work with some really great customers, like the IPL in India, some football federations in Europe and broadcasters. Earlier this year, we launched our US operations on a commercial level and are seeing explosive growth in that. The third pillar has been Asia in the last few months. We have to target the APAC market in a very different way because of its fragmented nature. But, technology-wise, we have a vision to provide AI solutions that can deliver content from the field of play to consumers working B2B with different businesses to understand their challenges. And we’re looking at how to venture into other content areas as well. 

In sports, we provide a set of solutions that are more flexible, affordable, and very easy to work with as a technology. What we’re fundamentally doing is asking business leaders, ‘How can you harness this AI-driven revolution and create more meaningful connections with your fans?’ There’s been a lot of talk about personalisation, but how you package that up from platform to platform will vary. So will the way that you harness the data that comes from that. We share data sets with all of our customers, and they can mix that up with their first-party data. 

Sports businesses in general are behind the curve when it comes to harnessing data. This is spoken about at events that we all go to all the time, but I think the opportunities around that are vast, both from a fan engagement point of view and an advertising or sponsorship point of view. We’re challenging business leaders to think about how they will bring technology into the fold, but we’re coming at it in a very flexible and easy manner. We’re asking, ‘How can you deploy that? How can you connect that to your existing thing? What technologies do you have to drive growth?’ That creates really exciting discussions. 

In this part of the world – certainly in APAC, where people are not quite sure what they want to do – we play a bit more of a consultative role. Then we have other customers who are very clear on what they want to do and how they want to deploy technology, and then it’s up to us to try and win that business. So there are some creative things going on in the sports industry, especially in this part of the world as well as in Europe, the UK and the US, where there are some really exciting developments happening too. 

To hear more from Elliot, tune into Episode 36 of The Content & Media Matters Podcast here.

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.