Timeline of teletext in the UK facts for kids

Teletext was a cool way to get information on your TV screen before the internet became popular. It showed pages of text with news, sports, weather, and TV guides. In the UK, teletext services like Ceefax and ORACLE were very popular for many years. This timeline shows how teletext grew and changed in the UK.

The 1970s: Teletext Begins

• 1972
  • October – The BBC announced a new service called Ceefax. It was designed to show pages of text on regular TV screens.

• 1974
  • 23 September – The BBC's Ceefax teletext service officially started. It offered 30 pages of information.

• 1976
  • World System Teletext was chosen as the standard way to broadcast teletext across Europe. This meant all teletext services would look similar, with 24 lines of text and 40 characters per line.

• 1977
  • February – ITV Oracle made the first ever "telesoftware" broadcast. This meant they sent computer programs through teletext pages. Even though there wasn't equipment to view it yet, it showed that teletext could carry software.

• 1978
  • ITV's own teletext service, called ORACLE, officially launched.

• 1979
  • 14 May – BBC Ceefax also started broadcasting telesoftware. They sent computer programs on Ceefax page 192.

The 1980s: Growing Popularity

• 1980
  • 12 March – The very first "in-vision" Ceefax broadcast happened on BBC1. This meant you could see Ceefax pages on your TV screen as a regular programme. These broadcasts helped show people what Ceefax offered, like news, sports, and TV listings.

• 1982
  • 1 November – S4C launched its own teletext service called Sbectel.
  • 2 November – Channel 4 launched its teletext service, 4-Tel. Both Sbectel and 4-Tel worked with ORACLE.

• 1983
  • 28 February – BBC1 started showing a 30-minute Ceefax programme called Ceefax AM before Breakfast Time.
  • 18 March – Channel 4 began showing in-vision teletext pages. They had two shows: 4-Tel on View and Oracle on View.
  • 2 May – Ceefax in Vision started broadcasting during all daytime "downtime" on BBC channels.
  • Ceefax also began broadcasting computer programs, known as telesoftware, for the BBC Micro home computer. These pages were in the 700s range.
  • November – The Ceefax service was updated and relaunched.

• 1984
  • 7 January – Daytime Ceefax broadcasts were renamed Pages from Ceefax.

• 1985
  • Sky Channel launched its teletext service, Sky Text.
  • 1 October – ORACLE updated its service. ITV's pages focused more on news, and Channel 4's pages became more like a magazine.

• 1986
  • 2 April – The first in-vision teletext service on ITV was launched by Central. It was called Jobfinder and showed job listings.
  • May – Ceefax expanded its sports coverage by moving sports pages to the 300s.
  • 24 October – Pages from Ceefax were shown on BBC1 for the last time during daytime downtime.

• 1988
  • As ITV started broadcasting 24 hours a day, many regions launched a teletext Jobfinder service overnight.
  • 1 December – ORACLE launched its own teletext soap opera called Park Avenue. A new episode was released every day until ORACLE stopped broadcasting.

• 1989
  • 31 March – The last Oracle on View broadcast took place.
  • The Ceefax Telesoftware broadcasts ended after six years.
  • 20 November – The Ceefax service was relaunched to focus more on news, sports, and current events. Magazine-style content was reduced.

The 1990s: Changes and New Services

• 1991
  • 16 October – The Independent Television Commission announced that ORACLE would lose its national teletext license. A new company, Teletext Ltd, would take over.

• 1992
  • 16 November – The Ceefax service was reorganised.
  • 31 December – This was ORACLE’s final day on air. It stopped broadcasting just before midnight.

• 1993
  • 1 January – At midnight, Teletext launched as ITV's new teletext service.

• 1994
  • February – More advanced graphics, called Level 2 teletext, were introduced to Pages from Ceefax. However, these broadcasts were later stopped because they were unreliable.

• 1995
  • 16 October – BBC Learning Zone launched. Ceefax pages were broadcast overnight in the gaps between programmes. This was the first time Ceefax was regularly shown overnight.

• 1996
  • 16 November – A big, final reorganisation of the Ceefax service took place.

• 1997
  • 6 January – Channel 4 started broadcasting 24 hours a day, which meant the end of 4-Tel on View.
  • 30 March – Channel 5 launched its own teletext service called 5 Text. Sky Text managed this service.
  • 9 November –
    • Pages from Ceefax was broadcast on BBC1 for the last time. From the next day, BBC News 24 was shown overnight instead.
    • When BBC News 24 launched, the BBC also introduced a teletext service for that channel.
  • November – The BBC added regional news and sports pages to Ceefax. This was the first time parts of the Ceefax service were different for different regions.

The 2000s: The End of Analogue Teletext

• 2002
  • Channel 4 renamed its teletext service to FourText.
  • Ceefax stopped broadcasting on digital satellite TV.
  • Teletext Ltd. took over as the provider for Channel 5’s teletext service.

• 2007
  • 17 October – Eskdale Green, Gosforth, and Whitehaven in west Cumbria were the first places in the UK to lose their teletext services. This happened as they completed the Digital Switchover.

• 2008
  • 20 November – Selkirk was the first major TV transmitter to stop broadcasting teletext. Over the next four years, teletext was switched off across the UK as analogue TV broadcasts ended.

• 2009
  • 9 November – Sbectel stopped broadcasting in Wales as the first area completed its Digital Switchover.
  • 15 December – Most of ITV's teletext service stopped broadcasting on analogue TV, except for its travel and holiday sections.

The 2010s: Final Switch-Offs

• 2010
  • 29 January – The broadcasting regulator Ofcom took away Teletext's licence to broadcast.

• 2011
  • Channel 5 closed its teletext service 5 Text.

• 2012
  • 22 October – The final transmission of Pages from Ceefax ended with special announcements and a special ending screen.
  • 23 October – At 11:32 PM, the Ceefax service officially ended after 38 years. This happened as the digital switchover was completed in the last part of the UK.

• 2013
  • 30 October – Sky switched off its Sky Text service.

See also

• Timeline of in vision teletext broadcasts in the UK