Telescope, the market leader in audience participation, consumer engagement, and mobile technology for live television, today announces the launch of their UK business and appointment of Andrew Jackson as VP of Business Development. A seasoned media-industry executive with a rich history of tenure at companies such as BBC Worldwide, Endemol, and MIG ( now Velti ), Jackson will spearhead Telescope’s UK growth with the opening of the company’s London branch.
Building from recent successes with the delivery of cutting edge social campaigns for Channel 4 and Channel 5 over the past year, Telescope will now establish a permanent presence and offer their technology and full suite of engagement and social products to UK clients. Jackson will strengthen the company’s position across the European market by applying his extensive knowledge and experience working at the intersection of technology and television.
“Having experienced the immense impact of social interactivity around TV and growing importance to the broadcast ecosystem here in the US, we feel we are uniquely positioned to bring our capability and expertise to the UK market,” said Jason George, CEO of Telescope. “As advertiser interest and multi-screen activity grows, there will be an explosion of these type of engagements in the UK and we’re delighted to have Andrew on board to help broadcasters, production companies and brands maximize value from this exciting opportunity.”
The addition of Jackson comes at a key juncture for the company, as it looks to expand upon its role as the television industry’s interaction agency of choice, having already proven its participation expertise over the last decade with storied franchises such as “American Idol,” “The Voice,” and “The Biggest Loser.” With an industry leading multichannel technology platform and through partnerships with companies like Twitter and Facebook, Telescope now powers consumer engagement solutions and companion play along mechanics for world’s largest media brands and marquee sports programming partners NASCAR and the National Basketball Association, among others.
“I’m proud to join the all-star team at Telescope and ready to dive head-first into our collective goals for the U.K. market,” said Andrew Jackson, VP, Business Development of Telescope UK. “I look forward to arming our new partners with the most powerful audience-engagement technology in the industry, and enabling them to more deeply connect with their viewers and consumers.”
An industry veteran with over 12 years of experience within interactive television and audience engagement in the United Kingdom, Jackson hails most recently from the BBC, where he served as an independent consultant working in the Future Media division at ITACU. Prior to the BBC, he worked at MIG ( now Velti ) as Head of Client Services, spearheading the launch of mobile SMS services for ITV, Channel 5 and BBC, in addition to managing the first major text-to-donate campaign for Comic Relief while delivering mobile services for brands, media campaigns and mobile networks alike.
Before MIG, Jackson served as Head of Telephony at Endemol UK, where he oversaw interactive services for hit series “Deal or No Deal,” “Goldenballs,” and “Big Brother.” Andrew first cut his teeth within the television industry at BBC Worldwide, where he worked on TV shows including Strictly Come Dancing, Sport Personality of the Year and Fame Academy.
