During the past decade particle image velocimetry (PIV) has become a versatile tool in the investigation of flow fields in turbomachinery. In this overview a short summary on recent applications of PIV in these machines is given, with a focus on rotating turbine and compressor test rigs and the developments within the PivNet network funded by the European Union. Several topics discussed during the PivNet workshops are addressed. To summarize the capabilities of PIV in thermal turbomachinery, the application of PIV to flow investigations in two test rigs is presented. The first one is a transonic turbine operating at 10600 rpm with 24 stator and 36 rotor blades at Graz University of Technology, Austria, and the second is a centrifugal compressor with a vaned diffusor and an impeller with 13 main and 13 splitter blades rotating at speeds up to 50000 rpm at the German Aerospace Center DLR, Cologne, Germany. At both facilities, workshops were organized during the PivNet program.