Veteran Batter up as MarketCast CEO

John Batter (left) and Henry Shapiro

Consumer insight and media analytics firm MarketCast has announced the appointment of veteran executive as CEO.

Current CEO Henry Shapiro will assume the role of Chairman.

Batter was most recently CEO of Gracenote, establishing the company as a market leader ahead of its sale to Nielsen in 2017. Prior to that, Batter served as 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 said: “I’m joining MarketCast Group as CEO at an exciting time. 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.”

Shapiro saw MarketCast transition from being a predominantly domestic, theatrical-only research provider to focus on entertainment research and analytics worldwide, serving clients from diverse industries such as streaming, video games, sports, and technology.

Said Shapiro: “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. 

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.