Los Angeles, Calif. — June 13, 2019 — MarketCast Group, a leader in research, consumer insights, and analytics serving the media, entertainment, and lifestyle industries worldwide, announced today that it has added John Batter to its board of directors.
“We’re pleased to welcome John to the MarketCast Group board,” said Henry Shapiro, MarketCast Group CEO. “Not only has John successfully led complex organizations through rapid growth periods, he’s also a seasoned expert in some of our most important markets and adjacencies.”
With the addition of Batter, MarketCast Group adds a media and entertainment veteran with extensive experience in building businesses organically and through acquisition. Batter was most recently CEO of Gracenote, the digital and data segment of Tribune Media Company, which he built into the world’s largest entertainment metadata services and technology company through the acquisition and integration of seven companies before selling the business to Nielsen in 2017. He was also CEO of M-GO, a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor; president of production for DreamWorks Animation; and a senior executive at Electronic Arts. Batter earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.
“I’m delighted to be supporting the team at MarketCast Group,” said John Batter. “As the pre-eminent platform for media and entertainment insights and analytics, MarketCast Group is uniquely positioned to extend into related sectors and offer expanded capabilities across all end markets. Some of that effort is well underway organically, and some can be accelerated through targeted acquisitions. I’m here to help on both fronts.”
With Batter’s expertise, MarketCast Group is well positioned to continue the company’s growth trajectory while expanding its capabilities.
About MarketCast Group
MarketCast Group consists of four integrated consumer insights businesses: MarketCast, Insight Strategy Group, Fizziology, and Turnkey Intelligence. These companies work in collaboration to apply the power of data, technology, and proven innovation to get at the heart of how consumers think, shop, and entertain their passions. Established in 1987, MarketCast is a leading provider of marketing research services and data analytics servicing the global entertainment industry. Acquired in 2015, Insight Strategy Group is a consumer research and strategy agency that leverages deep social science expertise to fuel brand growth, new product introductions, and service and content innovation. Fizziology, acquired in 2017, is a provider of social research and analytics that uses real-time global conversation to create actionable insights for marketers and creators. Acquired in 2018, Turnkey Intelligence is a business intelligence provider in the sports industry, offering best-in-class research and advisory services to sports leagues, teams, venues, and brands. Together, these companies equip clients to engage consumers and fans, manage and grow their brands, launch new products and services, expand consumer reach, and maximize business outcomes. MarketCast Group is a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, a leading private equity firm headquartered in New York.