Teletext, the terrestrial television viewer’s information and news service, has announced plans to close two years earlier than previously scheduled. After being subject to changing television viewing habits, dwindling readership and the rise of the internet, the service will now end in January 2010. As television consumers have fragmented amongst the hundreds of channels, there service simply doesn’t remain viable.
Teletext, owned by Associated Newspapers, a Daily Mail and General Trust division, had scheduled to end the service in 2012 but it blamed “current economic conditions” for the early departure. Speaking of their previously planned closure they said “Ofcom has indicated that it is not persuaded of the need for public intervention in the delivery of a public commercial Teletext service beyond 2014 and this has also contributed to the decision to discontinue the public service.”
However, the company which broadcasts services on ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, will not be closing. A historical source for breaking news and the location for discovering bargain holiday’s by television’s terrestrial viewers, the company will continue on Freeview. Its holiday service in addition with other commercial services will remain available to viewers.
Whilst the service remains, the changes in the planned scheduling closures for the company could lead to up to 70 jobs being lost, with a spokesman for Associated saying “It is all very regrettable but it is not a sustainable model – something had to change.”
