B2B vs B2C in Media Tech SaaS: Similarities, Differences & What We Can Learn
So I went down a rabbit hole, spent way too long on this…
Reflecting on this year's NABShow, I was thinking about the similarities and differences between B2B Media Technology SaaS businesses and products, that were the buzz at this year’s show and the B2C businesses that have led the way in the consumer side of Media Tech for the last few years. The article below is what I came up with.
What became clear after speaking with business leaders from across the different halls representing different parts of the industry is that many are applying generic SaaS playbooks without recognizing the unique dynamics of B2B media tech markets. But equally, many aren’t recognising that B2B SaaS does have a different go-to-market model to more traditional broadcast hardware and software.
So, let’s have a look at what we share with the Canva’s and Adobe’s of this world, how we differ, and what we in the B2B world might be able to learn from these SaaS behemoths… and some of the start-ups too.
The Common Ground - What Works Across Both Models
Before examining the differences, it's worth acknowledging what works universally in the media tech space. Whether developing the next broadcast infrastructure platform or the next consumer editing app, certain fundamentals remain consistent.
Authentic Brand Storytelling Drives Differentiation
In a crowded market where features are quickly commoditized, origin stories and mission create meaningful differentiation. The founding team at Frame.io (acquired by Adobe for $1.275B) consistently emphasized how their frustrations as filmmakers led to their cloud collaboration platform. This authentic connection to creative professionals resonated powerfully with both individual creators and enterprise production teams.
Brand storytelling isn't a luxury for later-stage companies—it's essential from day one. A compelling narrative explains not just what a product does, but why it matters and why the team behind it is uniquely positioned to deliver.
Content as a Strategic Asset, Not Just Marketing Collateral
Both B2B and B2C media tech companies can leverage content as a powerful business driver, though the execution differs significantly:
For B2B, content demonstrates expertise and builds trust through technical depth. Companies like Blackbird (cloud video editing) invest in detailed white papers on remote editing workflows and case studies showing quantifiable improvements in production speed.
For B2C, content showcases creative possibilities and builds community. Apps like Descript (audio/video editing) create short-form videos showing surprising use cases and time-saving workflows that drive organic sharing.
The common thread? In media tech specifically, audiences—whether professional or consumer—are inherently visual and expect high production quality. Generic, flat imagery and templated product overviews simply don't resonate in this space.
Where the Paths Diverge: Critical Differences Between B2B and B2C
Now let's explore where B2B and B2C media tech SaaS companies follow fundamentally different approaches.
Customer Journey - Complex vs. Streamlined
The B2B Reality: Multiple Gatekeepers and Technical Validation
When selling to broadcasters or production companies, the buyer's journey often involves 6-8 stakeholders across technical, operational, and financial departments. This isn't just about multiple meetings—it's about addressing fundamentally different concerns:
Technical teams evaluate integration capabilities and workflow impact
Operations leaders assess training requirements and transition risks
Finance examines ROI, TCO, and contract flexibility
One media tech startup developed a simple but effective stakeholder map for each prospect, identifying the primary concerns of each decision-maker. This allowed them to tailor demos and follow-ups specifically to each stakeholder's priorities, significantly accelerating deal velocity.
The B2C Approach: Immediate Value and Emotional Connection
For consumer-focused media tech, the journey collapses to minutes or seconds. Users expect immediate gratification—they should be creating something satisfying within moments of signing up.
The team at Canva understood this brilliantly, designing an onboarding flow that helps users create their first professional-looking graphic within 60 seconds. This immediate dopamine hit drives conversion far more effectively than feature lists or pricing comparisons.
Every friction point in a B2C activation flow represents a potential abandonment point. One podcasting app increased conversion by 38% simply by redesigning their onboarding to deliver a "wow moment" within the first three interactions.
Product-Led Growth - A Nuanced Reality in Media Tech
Perhaps no strategic approach has been more widely discussed—yet needs more careful adaptation—than Product-Led Growth (PLG).
Why PLG Often Faces Challenges in Broadcast B2B
Despite the broader SaaS trend toward PLG, most B2B media tech companies serving broadcast and production environments find pure self-service models challenging. Several factors contribute to this:
Workflow complexity: Broadcast systems involve intricate integrations with existing infrastructure—MAM systems, playout servers, automation systems—making self-service adoption considerably more difficult.
Risk tolerance: For companies where technical failure means dead air or missed deadlines, the perceived risk of self-implemented solutions is understandably high.
Custom needs: Most enterprise media operations have unique workflow requirements that benefit from consultation and configuration.
This doesn't mean B2B media tech companies should abandon PLG principles entirely. A "guided PLG" approach where demos and trials remain central, but facilitated by solutions engineers who can ensure proper setup and integration, can be effective. One cloud MAM provider found success with "proof-of-concept sprints"—structured 3-week trials with clear milestones and technical support.
How B2C Media Tech Thrives Through PLG
In contrast, B2C media tech products often flourish with PLG strategies. Successful platforms like Epidemic Sound (royalty-free music) and Shift (photo editing) convert users through frictionless trials that showcase immediate value.
The key is recognizing that the product itself becomes the most powerful sales tool. This requires focused attention on:
Intuitive UX that requires minimal explanation
Contextual guidance rather than traditional documentation
Quick wins that demonstrate the product's core value
In-app triggers for conversion at moments of highest engagement
One emerging B2C video editing platform found that placing upgrade prompts immediately after users successfully completed projects—rather than when they hit feature limits—increased conversion by over 40%. This "positive trigger" approach feels like a natural progression rather than a frustrating barrier.
Channel Strategy - Depth vs. Breadth
The channel strategy—how companies reach and acquire customers—represents perhaps the starkest contrast between B2B and B2C approaches in media tech.
B2B: Focused Influence in a Specialist Ecosystem
In B2B media tech, particularly for broadcast solutions, the ecosystem is surprisingly intimate. Decision-makers often move between a small circle of companies, attend the same events, and rely on trusted systems integrators.
This environment tends to reward focused influence over broad reach. Effective channel strategies often prioritize:
Strategic industry events: NAB, IBC, and regional shows remain significant for pipeline generation. One media workflow startup generated 70% of their first year's revenue from connections made at just two industry events.
Channel partnerships: Resellers, systems integrators, and consultants who already have trusted relationships with target customers. These partnerships require investment in training, certification, and joint marketing—but can dramatically accelerate market entry.
Ecosystem integrations: Technical partnerships with complementary vendors that create comprehensive solutions. For example, a cloud transcoding solution might partner with storage vendors, MAM providers, and delivery platforms to offer end-to-end workflows.
The most successful B2B media tech founders often spend 30-40% of their time on ecosystem development—considerably more than their counterparts in other SaaS verticals. This investment in relationship-building creates valuable credibility in a risk-averse industry.
B2C: Digital Scale and Creator Amplification
For B2C media tech, the playbook centers on digital efficiency and viral potential:
Performance marketing: Carefully optimized campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and search drive discovery and trials. The equation is straightforward: if customer LTV is $200 and CAC is $50, the acquisition model is viable.
Influencer partnerships: Collaborations with creators who demonstrate product capabilities create authentic social proof. Unlike traditional celebrity endorsements, micro-influencers with 10,000-100,000 followers often deliver better ROI through higher engagement and credibility.
App store optimization: For mobile-first tools, visibility in app stores remains crucial. One mobile editing app increased downloads by 32% by systematically testing screenshots and descriptions focused on specific use cases rather than feature lists.
Viral product mechanics: Features that encourage sharing and collaboration naturally expand reach. Tools like Kapwing (video editor) smartly added unobtrusive branding to exported content, turning users into unwitting ambassadors.
Successful B2C companies typically focus intensively on conversion metrics and acquisition efficiency, constantly testing new channels and optimizing existing ones. Unlike their B2B counterparts who might close 20-30 new customers in a year, B2C platforms aim for thousands or millions of users through largely automated funnels.
Pricing Strategy - Negotiation vs. Transparency
Pricing approaches in media tech SaaS reflect fundamentally different market expectations and sales motions.
B2B: Value-Based and Negotiated
In the B2B broadcast and production space, pricing is rarely transparent and almost always negotiable. This reflects several realities:
Solutions often scale based on complex variables: number of channels, hours of content processed, concurrent users, or infrastructure requirements
Enterprise buyers expect customization and negotiation as part of the purchasing process
Value perception varies dramatically based on the specific workflows being transformed
Most successful B2B media tech companies employ value-based pricing models that tie costs to measurable business outcomes: reduced production time, increased content throughput, or lower infrastructure costs. This approach requires developing robust ROI models that quantify the impact of solutions.
One cloud production platform created a simple calculator that demonstrated how their solution reduced both CAPEX and OPEX compared to traditional infrastructure. This tool became their most effective sales asset, allowing prospects to self-justify the investment to their finance teams.
B2C: Transparent and Psychologically Optimized
B2C media tech thrives on clarity and accessibility:
Pricing is transparent and publicly available
Tiered models align with user segments and use cases
Psychological tactics like charm pricing ($9.99 vs $10) and anchoring influence conversion
The most effective B2C pricing strategies create clear value distinctions between tiers while maintaining low barriers to entry. Canva's pricing structure exemplifies this approach: a generous free tier captures users, while paid plans unlock specific, high-value capabilities (brand kit, background remover, resize) that address common pain points.
For early-stage B2C products, pricing experimentation can be valuable. One audio editing platform discovered through systematic testing that their $19.99 monthly plan converted at nearly the same rate as their original $14.99 plan, instantly improving unit economics without sacrificing growth.
Case Studies - Learning From Market Leaders
Theory only goes so far. Examining how successful companies have executed these strategies provides practical insights.
B2B Success: Grabyo
While still relatively small with revenues of c. US$6.4M in 2024, Grabyo has grown consistently year on year for almost the last decade. Grabyo provides cloud-based live video production tools used by major broadcasters (WBD, Sky Sports) and particularly sports brands and rights holders (NHL, Wimbledon, FIFA, La Liga, Formula E & the EPL).
Their GTM success demonstrates several key B2B principles:
Do one thing very well: Rather than positioning as a general video platform, they specifically targeted social clip creation and distribution for live events—a discrete pain point for broadcasters.
Built strategic partnerships: By integrating with platforms like Twitter and YouTube, they created a complete solution that addressed immediate workflow challenges.
Leveraged industry validation: They secured early adoption from prestigious clients like Sky Sports, then used these references to build credibility with other broadcasters.
Maintained high-touch engagement: Despite being a cloud platform, they recognized the need for consultative sales and customer success, providing dedicated support for live events.
The lesson? Even with innovative cloud technology, Grabyo succeeded by respecting the traditional enterprise sales model of the broadcast industry while still pushing the boundaries to solve a specific, high-value problem.
One B2B to Watch: Grass Valley AMPP
Most of the industry knows of the slightly rocky recent history of this industry titan (some might say Titanic…). They have been one of the industry pioneers in traditional broadcast tech and more recently in cloud workflows for live production (and more) with GV AMPP. And, while I would argue that they are now very much an industry leader and on the right track, the path has not always been easy to navigate.
While GV doesn’t tell anyone their numbers, I would estimate that their sales of AMPP have been doubling each year for the last 3-4 years to a total probably 4-5 times that of Grabyo.
What they have/are doing well – They’ve created a good platform in AMPP. And they have now created really interesting products to go on that platform that are different from what you would have seen GV offer before. Yes, they have a couple of different Production Switchers / Vision Mixers (depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on) replicating their traditional range. But it is the new products like Sport Producer X or Event Producer X that are particularly interesting very much playing on what you can do in a software defined architecture. They need to take advantage of that (perhaps read the section on PLG…)
What haven’t they done so well – They didn’t adequately differentiate and create different organisation cultures for everything from sales to delivery to marketing early on in their journey. This arguably cost them 2 years in gaining traction within the market. But equally, it is arguable that maybe the market needed those extra two years to get to the right context to accept a GV AMPP.
The second thing is that they have not pushed to secure high-profile collaborators on their AMPP Marketplace – their ecosystem of third-party applications that run on GV AMPP. If they had have pushed hard on this earlier, and say secured an EVS or Ross expression in the ecosystem, I would posit that they would be far more accepted in the industry as a true ecosystem of best of breed products.
Grass Valley is now in a very good position to take advantage of the industry’s acceptance of cloud solutions throughout the entire media production chain. The question is can they attract, frictionlessly onboard, and keep customers on the platform to reap the rewards of their first mover advantage.
B2C Success: Descript
Descript's audio/video editing platform demonstrates the B2C playbook executed brilliantly:
Product-led from day one: Their "edit audio like a document" approach created an immediate wow factor that drove organic sharing and word-of-mouth growth.
Freemium conversion engine: A generous free tier allowed users to experience core functionality, with natural upgrade paths as their usage increased.
Content marketing mastery: They created hilarious, eye-catching demos of features like their AI voice cloning that generated millions of views on social platforms.
Community building: By engaging directly with creators and building features based on their feedback, they created powerful advocates within target communities.
The result? Descript built a passionate user base ranging from individual podcasters to major media companies, all through a primarily self-service model that scales efficiently.
Strategic Considerations for Early-Stage Companies
Based on these insights, several approaches might be worth considering for media tech companies still defining their go-to-market approach – or perhaps those looking to tweak existing approaches:
For B2B Media Tech
Balance innovation with familiarity: While technology may be revolutionary, interfaces and workflows that feel intuitive to industry professionals accustomed to existing systems reduce adoption friction. You can still have the radical new UX alongside it!
Domain expertise matters: Having team members with broadcast or production backgrounds who understand industry workflows and speak the language of customers can create meaningful advantages. But make sure that young industry rising stars sit alongside them.
Reference architecture: Clear technical documentation showing how solutions integrate with common industry systems and workflows helps overcome adoption barriers. It’s about reducing friction after all.
Ecosystem strategy: Identifying potential technology partners, channel partners, and industry influencers early can accelerate credibility and market access. This strategy is now essential to becoming an industry leader.
ROI models: Developing concrete, defensible models showing the financial impact of solutions on metrics buyers care about helps justify investment, in a world where the engineers no longer hold the reins.
What Can B2B Companies Borrow from B2C Players
Optimizing for early success: Identifying the most impressive capability of a product and ensuring users experience it within their first few interactions builds engagement.
Community development: Creating spaces where users can share tips, showcase work, and help each other builds engagement that correlates strongly with retention.
Retention before acquisition: Because SaaS means people can churn from your solutions more easily than ever before, ensuring the core experience is compelling enough to retain users before investing heavily in acquisition is something that we will have to copy from B2C players. Its not natural for B2B companies but it must be addressed.
Continuous testing: Implementing systems for ongoing experimentation with pricing, messaging, and features will help optimize growth in a more and more crowded market.
The differences between B2B and B2C approaches in media tech aren't just about marketing tactics—they reflect fundamentally different business models with distinct success factors.
The media technology landscape offers significant opportunities to learn on both sides of this divide. The key is recognizing which strategies work in which contexts and leveraging those, whether they are B2B strategies or those from the world of B2C.
In this world of revolutionary change and products, companies still benefit from deliberate, informed go-to-market strategies attuned to the realities of their target markets. And we as targets for B2C products on our weekends, have gotten to like many of the ways we are sold them. It is definitely time to build them into our B2B go-to-market strategies.