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AI, SaaS and Geopolitics: The Recruitment Realities Reshaping M&E

With IBC 2025 just around the corner, conversations about technology, business models, and industry transformation will once again dominate Amsterdam. But behind every technology shift sits a people challenge, and right now, the recruitment and talent landscape across media and entertainment (M&E) is facing unprecedented pressure.


From the rise of SaaS-driven business models, to geopolitical uncertainty to the impact of AI, the sector is wrestling with how to attract, retain, and develop the right leaders and teams to deliver growth in a highly disrupted environment.


Here are the key recruitment challenges shaping 2025.


1. The SaaS Shift and Its Human Impact

Investors are increasingly pushing traditional M&E vendors to look and act more like SaaS-native businesses. While the large-scale layoffs that defined the last couple of years have slowed, reorganisation is now the constant. Vendors and broadcasters alike are re-engineering their organisations to support new business models.  This shift is most visible in the restructuring of sales and customer success teams, but it has far-reaching consequences.


Too often, leadership parachuted in from outside M&E applies a “cookie-cutter” SaaS model that fails to reflect the nuances of the media technology ecosystem. The result? Damaged customer relationships, declining morale, and a drain of experienced talent. Over the past two years, I’ve seen multiple examples where well-intentioned but misapplied strategies have led to revenue downturns and reputational damage.


The lesson is clear: SaaS-inspired transformation is necessary, infusing new talent into our ecosystems from other verticals is essential, but it needs to be balanced with the lived realities of media and entertainment customers, and the talent who understand them best.


2. Geopolitics and the Global Talent Market

The geopolitical backdrop continues to shape recruitment strategies, especially across Europe and the US. Conflict, trade tensions, and shifting regulatory frameworks are limiting cross-border opportunities and complicating hiring plans.


For companies, understanding cultural and political nuances is vital when scaling internationally. For candidates, the message is the same: awareness of the global context is essential to success, particularly when moving between European and US companies.


This has made cultural fit more critical than ever. Psychometric testing and deeper personality assessments are being used more widely to ensure senior leaders can collaborate effectively across borders and cultures. The cost of a mis-hire at this level, both financially and culturally, is simply too high.


3. The Pitfalls of Complex Hiring Processes

Perhaps as a consequence of the first two points, one trend that is becoming a norm is the over-complication of recruitment processes: hiring processes are becoming too slow, too complex, and too crowded with decision-makers.

  • Too many stakeholders lead to delays, mixed messages, and lost momentum.

  • Lack of accountability means decisions are pushed around without clear ownership, frustrating both candidates and hiring teams.

  • Negative candidate experiences are increasingly shared publicly, damaging employer brands.

In a competitive talent market, the best candidates don’t wait. Businesses that can move decisively, communicate clearly, and provide a professional candidate experience will continue to win. Those that can’t risk losing not just individuals, but reputational capital that’s hard to rebuild.


4. AI: Tool or Barrier?

AI is the most talked-about theme of 2025, and recruitment is no exception. Automated candidate screening tools are increasingly common, promising efficiency but often resulting in strong candidates being filtered out unfairly.


For candidates, the process feels increasingly impersonal. For businesses, it risks overlooking the very people who could transform their organisation. The takeaway is simple: AI can streamline, but it cannot replace the human touch. The same applies to our industry at large. Technology will shape the future, but relationships, trust, and human judgement remain at the centre of successful hiring.


5. Looking Ahead: Opportunity Through Change

Despite the turbulence of the past two years, the outlook is far from bleak. This industry has a proven track record of adapting to disruption and finding opportunity in change. In fact, the increased investment we are seeing in product-centric roles during 2025 is a clear signal that companies are preparing for the next wave of innovation.


Consolidation will no doubt continue (it always has in M&E), but that should not overshadow the industry’s defining strength: its ability to reinvent itself through creativity and technology. For those organisations that stay ahead of emerging trends and continue to invest in talent, the future looks bright.


Conclusion: 

As the industry converges on Amsterdam for IBC 2025, the spotlight will inevitably fall on technology: AI breakthroughs, SaaS models, and new business opportunities. But the real story sits behind the screens.


M&E companies don’t just need smarter tools; they need the right people to implement, adapt, and lead through change. The winners will be those who treat recruitment as a strategic priority, not an afterthought: blending SaaS agility with media know-how, scaling globally without losing cultural cohesion, and leveraging AI without losing human connection.


In a sector defined by creativity and reinvention, the ultimate differentiator won’t be the technology itself; it will be the talent driving it.


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