MarketCast Buys Insight Strategy Group

LA-based entertainment research specialist MarketCast has announced the acquisition of Insight Strategy Group, a research and strategy agency with headquarters in New York City.

MarketCast has offices in New York, Boston and London and serves the global entertainment industry with materials testing, concept and positioning studies, recruited audience screenings, tracking studies and a number of custom offerings. Last November it was itself acquired by private investment firms RLJ Equity Partners and GE Asset Management.

Insight Strategy Group, which has around 35 staff, was founded by co-CEOs Stacey Matthias and Boaz Mourad in 1999, and also has in-depth expertise in media and entertainment research, with an offer including concept development, pilot testing and series maintenance, segmentation and brand franchise tracking - much of it for TV. However it also has established industry practices in lifestyle, consumer goods, retail, and financial and professional services, and a youth practice, InsightKids.

Henry Shapiro, CEO of MarketCast, says the combination of two companies 'will benefit clients immediately, particularly in the TV and OTT sectors where the pace of change is as thrilling as it is stunning'.

Mourad says Insight's established practices in lifestyle, CPG, retail and professional services 'will grow in impact, efficiency, and scale with the union', with clients in all sectors benefitting from the company's expanded US and global presence and capabilities. Matthias comments: 'As ever, Insight Strategy Group's goal is to fuel our clients' success by enriching content and marketing efforts to resonate deeply with audiences across platforms and occasions'.

Web sites: www.mcast.com and www.insightstrategygroup.com .