Bill Livek Plans to Retire as Comscore CEO

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorBill Livek plans to retire as CEO of Comscore, capping a career in media measurement spanning more than 40 years.Comscore said its board of directors will consider external and internal candidates to succeed Livek as CEO and has engaged headhunting firm Spencer Stuart for the search.

Once a replacement is named, Livek plans to transition to non-executive vice chairman and serve on Comscore’s board through the end of his term in mid-2024.Livek previously served as CEO of Rentrak and helped facilitate the 2016 merger of the company with Comscore, which combined Rentrak’s movie and TV measurement business with Comscore’s internet measurement — and has emerged as a credible rival to Nielsen.

Following the merger, Livek served on Comscore’s board before stepping into the CEO role in 2019. “On behalf of the Comscore board, employees and industry, we want to thank Bill for his leadership and successful turnaround of Comscore,” Comscore chairman Brent Rosenthal said in a statement. “Bill ensured that Comscore is in a stronger position than it’s ever been and prepared to serve as the future of media measurement.”Livek commented, “It has been an honor to serve Comscore’s shareholders, customers and employees, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished together as a team to make Comscore synonymous with census measurement.

I am confident about Comscore’s future and honored to continue to be part of it.”Livek, whose career in media measurement began in 1978, is credited with helping to build and turn around a number of measurement companies, including Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio), Birch/Scarborough and Simmons Market Research Bureau.