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Netflix Head of Consumer Research Zoe Friend Joins MarketCast

Zoë Friend is leaving Netflix after more than five years to join entertainment research firm MarketCast as corporate senior VP of custom research and insights.

In the new role, Friend will lead MarketCast’s custom research practice across all of its business segments for media, sports and brand clients.

Most recently, Friend was Netflix’s VP of consumer insights, where she grew the streamer’s content and marketing research team to more than 40 staffers. Friend was part of co-CEO Reed Hastings’ senior leadership team, responsible for consumer research that helped inform Netflix’s multibillion-dollar budget for original series and movies.

Prior to joining Netflix in 2015, Friend was senior VP of research and strategy for Paramount and before that was managing director of movie research agency First Movies.

“Zoë’s experience building a high-performing research team at one of the world’s most tech-forward media companies will be invaluable as we continue to aggressively grow and transform our business,” MarketCast CEO John Batter, who joined the company last year, said in announcing her hire. “Zoë brings the right balance of research acumen and client service expertise to our lineup, and we are thrilled that she has chosen MarketCast as the next chapter in her life and career.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with the MarketCast research team and seeing the incredible work they do firsthand as a longtime client,” said Friend. “MarketCast’s reputation as a research leader and their vision for transforming media and brand research through a combination of primary research, advanced data science and technology innovation will be game changing for creators, brands and marketers alike, and I look forward to helping shape and bring this vision to life.”

Friend joins MarketCast after the company in September announced the hiring of Lyndon Campbell, formerly the SVP overseeing Nielsen Sports, as SVP and GM of MarketCast Sports, Live Events and Brands.

Earlier this year, MarketCast acquired data science services company Deductive and integrated its previous acquisitions of social digital opinion measurement firm Fizziology, custom research firm Insight Strategy Group, and sports research company Turnkey Intelligence.

MarketCast is a portfolio company of private equity firm Kohlberg & Co. Based in L.A., MarketCast provides research and data science services for Hollywood studios, streaming services, video game publishers, lifestyle brands, and sports leagues and teams.

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