This is a timeline of the history of

teletext A British Ceefax football index page from October 2009, showing the three-digit page numbers for a variety of football news stories Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipp ...

on television in the UK. .

1970s

* 1972 ** October –

Ceefax Ceefax (, punning on "seeing facts") was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. Ceefax was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended, after 38 years of broadcasting, at 23:32:19 BST ( ...

is announced by the BBC as a new service providing pages of text on ordinary television screens. * 1973 ** No events. * 1974 ** 23 September – The BBC's

service

goes live with 30 pages of information. * 1975 ** No events. * 1976 **

World System Teletext World System Teletext (WST) is the name of a standard for encoding and displaying teletext information, which is used as the standard for teletext throughout Europe today. It was adopted into the international standard ITU-R, CCIR 653 (now ITU-R BT ...

is adopted as the common way to broadcast teletext services through Europe with a display format of 24 rows by 40 columns of characters. * 1977 ** February – ITV Oracle broadcasts the first ever

telesoftware The term telesoftware was coined by W.J.G. Overington who invented the concept in 1974; it literally means “software at a distance” and it often refers to the transmission of programs for a microprocessor or home computer via broadcast telete ...

broadcast on pages 101, 102 and 103. There is no reception equipment available to view the broadcast, but it gives the concept of a teletext service carrying software on some of its pages great practical credibility. This broadcast is observed on a public demonstration teletext television at the BBC Pebble Mill studio in Birmingham by the kind help of a member of BBC staff. The software is for a Signetics 2650 microprocessor. * 1978 ** ITV's

service

ORACLE An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

launches. * 1979 ** 14 May – BBC Ceefax begins broadcasts a telesoftware broadcast on Ceefax page 192. The software is written in a specially designed machine independent object code (1456 object code, in speech "fourteen fifty-six object code") with the idea that the object code could be used in a virtual machine so that a telesoftware decoder could use a microprocessor of the choice of the manufacturer of the decoder thus providing fairness of opportunity for manufacturers of microprocessors.

1980s

* 1980 ** March – The very first in-vision

transmissions are broadcast. Three 30-minute transmissions are aired at various points during weekday daytime downtime. * 1981 ** No events. * 1982 ** 1 November –

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking ...

launches and this results in the start of transmissions of its teletext service

Sbectel Sbectel () is the name of S4C's former ancillary teletext service. It was named after the Welsh language S4C programme magazine called ''Sbec'' (Welsh for 'peek') which was originally a pull-out of the ''TVTimes'' in the HTV Wales area. Content S ...

. ** 2 November – Channel 4 launches and this results in the start of transmissions of its teletext service 4-Tel. Both Sbectel and 4-Tel are operated in conjunction with

with the production of 4-Tel outsourced to Intelfax, a company set up especially for the purpose. * 1983 ** 28 February –

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

begins broadcasting a 30-minute Ceefax slot prior to the start of '' Breakfast Time''. It is called ''

Ceefax AM Ceefax (, punning on "seeing facts") was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. Ceefax was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended, after 38 years of broadcasting, at 23:32:19 BST ( ...

''. It is first mentioned in the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' on 21 March. ** 18 March – Channel 4 broadcasts in-vision teletext pages for the first time. Two magazines are shown – ''

4-Tel on View Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...

'' and '' Oracle on View'' – and in fifteen minute bursts which are repeated several times each day prior to the start of each day's transmissions. Teletext pages are only shown on weekdays. ** 2 May – From today ''

Ceefax in Vision Ceefax (, punning on "seeing facts") was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. Ceefax was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended, after 38 years of broadcasting, at 23:32:19 BST ( ...

'' is broadcast during all daytime downtime although until September BBC2 continues to fully close down for four hours after ''

Play School Play School or Playschool may refer to: Television * ''Play School'' (British TV series), a BBC production aimed at preschool children * ''Play School'' (Australian TV series), an Australian Broadcasting Corporation production based on the Briti ...

''. ** Ceefax starts to broadcast computer programs, known as

, for the

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an emphas ...

(a home computer available in the United Kingdom). It broadcasts the pages in the 700s page range as an addition to the regular 100-page service. ** November – The Ceefax service is relaunched. * 1984 ** 7 January – Daytime Ceefax transmissions are renamed ''

Pages from Ceefax Ceefax (, punning on "seeing facts") was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. Ceefax was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended, after 38 years of broadcasting, at 23:32:19 BST ( ...

'' following the decision by

to begin listing daytime Ceefax broadcasts. * 1985 ** Sky Channel launches its teletext service

Sky Text Sky Text was the digital teletext service operated by British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was available on Freeview Channel 206 and Sky. The text service ceased on 30 October 2013 and skyinteractive.com, skytext ...

. ** 1 October – ORACLE revamps its service. The pages on ITV become more news focused and more regional pages are added and the content on Channel 4 becomes more magazine focussed. The changes also see the end of duplicate pages on both channels. * 1986 ** 2 April – The first in-vision

service is seen on ITV when

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

launches its '' Jobfinder'' service which broadcasts for one hour after the end of the day's programming. ** May – Ceefax expands its sports coverage when it moves the sport pages to the 300s. This allows Ceefax to expand other sections into the 20 pages previously used for sports news. ** 24 October – Ahead of the launch of the BBC's daytime television service, Pages from Ceefax are shown during BBC1's daytime downtime for the final time. * 1987 ** No events. * 1988 ** The commencement of 24-hour broadcasting on ITV sees many regions launching a teletext '' Jobfinder'' service as part of their overnight offering with almost all of the ITV regions using Level 2 teletext graphics. ** 1 December – ORACLE launches its teletext soap opera

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

. A new episode is released daily until ORACLE’s final day on air. To this day, it emits the only soap opera of its kind. * 1989 ** 31 March – The last '' Oracle on View'' transmission takes place. ** The Ceefax Telesoftware transmissions end after six years. ** 20 November – The Ceefax service is relaunched to focus on news, sport and current affairs. The magazine elements are significantly reduced and are mainly restricted to the weekend.

1990s

* 1990 ** No events. * 1991 ** 16 October – The

Independent Television Commission The Independent Television Commission (ITC) licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom (except S4C in Wales) between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003. History The creation of ITC, by the Broadcasting Act ...

announces the results of the franchise round. Following the

Broadcasting Act 1990 The Broadcasting Act 1990 is a law of the British parliament, initiated in part due to a 1989 European Council Directive (89/552), also known as the Television Without Frontiers directive. The aim of the Act was to liberalise and deregulate the B ...

and

loses the National Teletext franchise to

Teletext Ltd Teletext Ltd was the provider of teletext and digital interactive services for ITV, Channel 4 and Five in the United Kingdom. Origins ''Teletext Ltd'' started providing teletext services for ITV and Channel 4 on 1 January 1993, replacing the ...

. * 1992 ** 16 November – A reorganisation of the Ceefax service takes place. ** 31 December – This was

’s final day on air, and it stops broadcasting at 23:59:59. * 1993 ** 1 January – At the stroke of midnight,

Teletext A British Ceefax football index page from October 2009, showing the three-digit page numbers for a variety of football news stories Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipp ...

launches as ITV's new teletext service. * 1994 ** February – Level 2 teletext graphics are introduced to ''

''. However, in early 1996 the Ceefax Level 2 broadcasts are abandoned, not least as they are unreliable and often appear with lines missing and with other obvious technical issues. * 1995 ** 16 October –

BBC Learning Zone The BBC Learning Zone (previously The Learning Zone) was an educational strand run by the BBC as an Graveyard slot, overnight service on BBC Two. It shows programming aimed at students in Primary, Secondary and Higher Education and to adult lear ...

launches and Ceefax pages are broadcast in the gaps between the end of regular programmes and the start of Learning Zone broadcasts. This is the first time that Ceefax is broadcast overnight on a regular basis. * 1996 ** 16 November – A major (and final) reorganisation of the Ceefax service takes place. * 1997 ** 6 January – Channel 4 starts 24-hour broadcasting, resulting in the end of ''

''. ** 30 March – Channel 5 launches and it provides a teletext service 5 Text.

is contracted to operate the service. ** 9 November – *** ''

'' is broadcast on BBC1 for the final time as from the following day, all overnight downtime is replaced by an overnight simulcast of BBC News 24. *** The launch of

BBC News 24 BBC News (also known as the BBC News Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television news channel for BBC News. It was launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 5:30 pm as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic telev ...

sees the BBC introduce a teletext service for the channel. However it is not known as Ceefax despite carrying many of the same pages. ** November – The BBC introduces regional news and sports pages to Ceefax. This is the first time that any part of the Ceefax service has been regionalised. * 1998 ** No events. * 1999 ** No events.

2000s

* 2000 ** No events. * 2001 ** No events. * 2002 ** Channel 4 renames its teletext service to

FourText Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...

. ** Ceefax stops broadcasting on digital satellite. **

Teletext Ltd. Teletext Ltd was the provider of teletext and digital interactive services for ITV, Channel 4 and Five in the United Kingdom. Origins ''Teletext Ltd'' started providing teletext services for ITV and Channel 4 on 1 January 1993, replacing th ...

takes over as provider of Channel 5’s teletext service. * 2003 ** No events. * 2004 ** No events. *2005 ** No events. * 2006 ** No events. * 2007 ** 17 October – Eskdale Green, Gosforth and Whitehaven in west Cumbria are the first places in the UK to lose their teletext services when they become the first area to complete

Digital Switchover The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover (DSO), the analogue switch/sign-off (ASO), the digital migration, or the analogue shutdown, is the process in which older analogue television broadcasting technology is conv ...

. * 2008 ** 20 November – Selkirk is the first major transmitter to stop broadcasting teletext services and over the next four years, teletext is switched off on a transmitter-by-transmitter basis as analogue transmissions end as the UK goes through digital switchover. * 2009 ** 9 November –

stops broadcasting on the day that the first area in Wales (most of South West Wales) completes

. ** 15 December – With the exception of its travel and holiday sections, ITVs teletext service stops broadcasting on

analogue TV Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors and sound are represented by amplitude, phase and frequency of an analog s ...

2010s

*2010 ** 29 January – The broadcasting regulator

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

revokes Teletext's licence to broadcast and in May Ofcom imposes a financial penalty of £225,000 on Teletext Limited for ceasing to provide part of its service whilst its licence was still extant. *2011 ** Channel 5 closes its teletext service 5 Text. *2012 **22 October – At 5.59am the final transmission of ''

'' comes to an end with special continuity announcements and a specially created end caption featuring various Ceefax graphics from over the years. **23 October – At 23:32:19 BST, in line with the

digital switchover The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover (DSO), the analogue switch/sign-off (ASO), the digital migration, or the analogue shutdown, is the process in which older analogue television broadcasting technology is conv ...

being completed in the final part of the UK, the Ceefax service ends after 38 years.

Pete Clifton Pete Clifton is Editor-in-Chief at the Press Association (PA). Prior to the appointment he was Executive Producer for MSN in the UK and former Head of Editorial Development at BBC News. Career Clifton was previously the editor of Ceefax, and befo ...

Points of View 9 November 2008Test Cards and Ceefax
BBC Archive *2013 **30 October – Sky switches off its

service.

References

{{Reflist, 30em teletext on UK television

Tele Tele may refer to: * Television * Tele (band), a German rock/pop band * Tele Ikuru, Deputy Governor of Rivers State * Télé, Mali, a rural commune of the Cercle of Goundam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali * Telemarketing * Telegraphy * ''Eveni ...