Former Gracenote CEO Joins MarketCast Group Board

John Batter, the former CEO of media and entertainment data provider Gracenote, has joined the Board of Directors of Los Angeles-based consumer insights firm MarketCast Group.

MarketCast Group comprises four consumer insights businesses: entertainment research specialist MarketCast, research and strategy agency Insight Strategy Group, social media research and analytics firm Fizziology, and sports research and advisory firm Turnkey Intelligence. The group is a portfolio company of private equity firm Kohlberg & Company.

Batter (pictured) joins the Board after serving as CEO of Tribune Media Company's Gracenote, which he built through the acquisition and integration of seven companies to a business providing information for more than twelve million movie and television listings, and 200 million music tracks, before selling to Nielsen, in a $560m cash deal. Earlier, he 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.

Henry Shapiro, MarketCast Group CEO, comments: 'We're pleased to welcome John to the MarketCast Group Board. 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'.

Web site: www.mcastgroup.com .