2012: Ceefax closes after 38 years
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Ceefax, the world’s first teletext service, completed its final broadcast on 23 October 2012.
Ceefax had been launched on 23 September 1974 to allow Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ viewers to check headlines, sport scores, weather forecasts and TV listings without having to wait for the next TV or radio bulletin.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s former UN correspondent, Colin McIntyre, was appointed as the service’s first editor. McIntyre originally updated 24 news pages on his own, feeding punch tape into machines.
At its peak, Ceefax had 20 million viewers checking the service at least once a week. Ceefax came to an end with the introduction of digital TV, as it relied on analogue TV signals to be broadcast.
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Archive: Originally broadcast 23 October 2012.