Former Gracenote and MarketCast Man is New XR CEO

Advertising operations platform XR (a.k.a. Extreme Reach) has appointed former MarketCast and Gracenote Chief Executive John Batter as its new CEO. He succeeds interim CEO Chandler Bigelow who now returns full-time to his role as Chief Financial Officer.

XR's platform integrates and simplifies fragmented data to help users manage their assets and optimize ad spend. The firm also offers SpotlightXR, which 'reimagines' payroll, accounting, and residuals for the entertainment industry and commercial talent; and storytelling platform SourceXR.

Batter brings leadership experience from the entertainment, media and technology industries. He was CEO of entertainment data company Gracenote prior to its acquisition by Nielsen in 2016, and worked in senior roles at DreamWorks Animation, helping with the production of franchises including Shrek and Madagascar. He also launched M-GO, an on-demand streaming service backed by DreamWorks and Technicolor, which was later acquired by Fandango. Most recently he led MarketCast through digital transformation and accelerated the development of its research and advertising effectiveness solutions. He has served on XR's Board of Directors since 2022.

Executive Chairman Doug Knopper says Batter's 'strategic foresight, proven leadership and operational discipline will be key to accelerating momentum and expanding [the firm's] market share across the marketing and creator ecosystem.'

XR is headquartered in North America, with offices in Europe, Asia and Australia, and is online at www.xr.global .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.