There was an uproar when the BBC originally proposed to close its digital text service. Its closure now comes via the back door.
- Growing number of viewers can no longer access the service.
- New devices have functionality disabled or not included.
- BBC involved in removing technology spec from devices.
A campaign to save the text service was launched in 2019 after the BBC announced its closure due to “‘financial pressure”. Plans were put on hold in January 2020 before being scrapped in September of that year.
But more and more viewers who upgrade or replace their TV are finding they no longer have access to the service.
The 2023 satellite upgrade of BBC services to HD-only saw some households with older devices encouraged to upgrade their receiver to continue watching BBC and other channels via satellite. But Sky Q and many newer Freesat receivers no longer have the ability to access Red Button text.
At the same time, new smart TVs also don’t have access to Red Button text. It’s functionality, which relies on TVs supporting ‘MHEG’ digital text service is being phased out. On TVs that still support MHEG, the functionality is often disabled when the TV is set to ‘United Kingdom’ on set-up. Setting the TV to a wrong country means channels are not listed correctly. Viewers may also lose some of the extra features offered by Freeview Play.
The third area where access to the service is declining is through next-generation digital TV platforms, which are based on streaming. Services like Freely and Sky Stream don’t offer access to older digital text services. Sky Glass TVs, in Freeview mode, also default to the newer HbbTV standard, which doesn’t include BBC digital text.
How did we get here?
- BBC digital text was the replacement for Ceefax. It made its debut in the late 1990s as the first generation of digital TV platforms went live. For a time in the mid-2000s, the service was known as “BBCi”.
- It used a technology platform called MHEG, which later went on to power numerous interactive and text services on Freeview and Freesat. Sky had its own interactive TV standard, so the BBC offered a modified version to work on Sky satellite receivers.
- MHEG did not establish itself widely as an international TV standard for interactive TV and teletext services on digital TV.
- Instead, HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) quickly established itself in Europe and beyond in the early 2010s as a way of delivering teletext style services and red button interactive applications.
- The BBC, having been a cheerleader for MHEG red button services for nearly two decades, effectively admitted defeat. In 2016, the BBC announced it would adopt HbbTV.
- MHEG support has since dwindled as new devices and TV platforms launch.
- The BBC launched an HbbTV Red Button app in 2017. But in 2020, the BBC discontinued news and sports news. The HbbTV app now acts a bridge to the iPlayer.
The BBC involved in specification changes
The BBC can blame manufacturers and platform operators for no longer making digital text available. However, as a major stakeholder in Freeview, Freesat and Freely, it has been involved in making decisions to remove the mandatory requirement for MHEG digital text to be supported. It became optional for manufacturers to include MHEG support from 2021.
On the other hand, device manufacturers have been lobbying for the removal of MHEG support over most of the last decade, since it became clear the UK-backed standard was going nowhere in comparison to HbbTV. Therefore, they would have welcomed the BBC’s intervention.
As it stands, MHEG support does exist on many devices in use, but not activated unless the country is changed to Republic of Ireland, or HbbTV is turned off.
Who still uses Red Button text?
When the BBC announced its plans to close Digital Text in 2019, the proposals were met with fierce opposition from audience groups. The most vocal feedback came from groups associated with elderly and disabled users.
In its heyday, BBC Red Button was used by over 12 million people. It became the last remaining news and information service after commercial services from Sky and Teletext Ltd were axed.
The BBC says usage continues to decline. However, this will be accelerated by users upgrading their TVs and losing access.
In the meantime, the BBC is conducting user research with a market research partner. It aims to find out more about how viewers use the service. Further details are found on Red Button Text page 9990.
How does the UK compare with its neighbours?
In the UK, the BBC was also involved in ensuring original teletext (“World Standard Teletext”) was not supported by Freeview boxes, in favour of its preferred MHEG text option. In contrast, first generation Sky Digital receivers and most receivers across Europe continued to support original teletext.
Where teletext has survived, some broadcasters will both offer original teletext and a newer HbbTV text service via the red button. Unlike MHEG digital text, a wider range of accessibility options are available via HbbTV services allowing users to increase text size, for example.
In the Netherlands, 3.5 million were still using public broadcaster NPO’s ‘Teletekst’ service in 2023. Unlike most other countries, NPO has even invested in new equipment to support original teletext, challenging the narrative from other broadcasters that teletext has had to close because newer equipment isn’t available. 1 million people use the NPO Teletekst App. Over in Germany, 10 million users regularly use teletext services, increasing to around 20 million if occasional users are added. There are still two million users of Spanish teletext services.
In Ireland, public broadcaster RTÉ closed its Aertel service in 2023. It is one of many public service broadcasters facing funding issues. As a result, it had to choose against investing in upgrades to original teletext. Instead, RTÉ is investing money in growing online services, including RTÉ Player.
As for the UK, the BBC will at some point wind down its MHEG text service after nearly thirty years. As the number of devices that allow access dwindles, its eventual demise won’t be noticed by many.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Screenshot BBC Red Button Text