Teletext, an information service available on ITV, Channel 4, Five and a selection of Freeview channels, will cease broadcasting in January 2010.
The service, first launched back in 1993, arrived as a replacement for ITV's Oracle - a similar service that launched in 1974. However, with 35 years of history behind it, Teletext owners Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) announced today that the core Teletext TV service would be discontinued as a result of recent year-on-year losses.
Teletext was originally scheduled to be brought to an end in 2012. The decision to close the service two years ahead of schedule is due to "current economic conditions", says DMGT, who cites easily-accessible online news and Ofcom regulations as the cause of its demise.
Come January 2010, both Teletext's analogue and digital news services will cease to exist. DMGT has, however, confirmed that its Freeview service Teletext Holidays will continue to operate, as will its web-based ventures - including teletextholidays.co.uk, thisistravel.co.uk and villarenters.co.uk.
