Los Angeles, Calif. — July 25, 2019 — MarketCast Group, a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company and a leader in research, consumer insights, and analytics serving the media, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle industries worldwide, announced today that its long-time CEO, Henry Shapiro, will assume the role of Chairman, while veteran media and entertainment executive John Batter assumes the CEO role.
Batter is a media and entertainment veteran with extensive experience in building data-driven businesses delivering best-in-class results for customers. He was most recently CEO of Gracenote, the digital and data segment of Tribune Media Company, which he established as the world’s largest entertainment metadata services and technology company prior to a successful sale of the business to Nielsen in 2017. He previously was 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 joining MarketCast Group as CEO at an exciting time,” said Batter. “Henry moves to the Chairman role with the company in great shape as the preeminent platform for media and entertainment insights and analytics. Building on its deep entertainment industry experience, MarketCast Group has been successfully extending its reach to include additional customers and markets. We will continue to provide best-in-class service to our ever-expanding group of high-quality customers.”
Under Shapiro’s leadership, MarketCast Group has grown more than tenfold and has transitioned from being a predominantly domestic, theatrical-only research provider to a leader in entertainment research and analytics worldwide, serving clients from diverse industries such as streaming, video games, sports, and technology.
“After nearly 20 years leading this extraordinary company, I am excited to dedicate my time to working with John to take the company to the next level as Chairman,” said Shapiro, “and to pass day-to-day responsibilities to a talented and seasoned executive team. I am thrilled to welcome John to MarketCast Group. He has the perfect mix of experience and skills for this phase of the company’s growth.”
Batter will be based at MarketCast Group headquarters in Los Angeles.
About MarketCast Group
MarketCast Group is a leading provider of data-driven research, consumer insights, and analytics serving the media, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle industries. The company operates through four integrated consumer insights businesses: MarketCast, Insight Strategy Group, Fizziology, and Turnkey Intelligence, which 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. 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 is a provider of social research and analytics that uses real-time global conversation to create actionable insights for marketers and creators. 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, L.L.C.
About Kohlberg & Company
Kohlberg & Company, L.L.C. is a leading private equity firm headquartered in New York. Since its inception in 1987, Kohlberg has organized eight private equity funds, through which it has raised $7.5 billion of committed equity capital. Over its nearly 30‐year history, Kohlberg has completed 79 platform investments and over 190 add‐on acquisitions, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $15 billion. For more information, please visit www.kohlberg.com.