Teletext on Sky

Just when will Teletext launch on Sky?

Teletext is as much a part of ITV1 as GMTV, so why did Digital Teletext not launch at the same time as ITV1? The technology is already available for it - hence the Teletext holiday services already available.

Surely Teletext is contracted to supply a text service for ITV1 (and Channel 4 for that matter) whether it's on digital or not, so why isn't it?


(Edited by cheshirec at 11:31 pm on Jan. 1, 2002)

The Digital Teletext service on ITV Digital is in no way connected with ITV. It's a separate service on it's own channel. You can't access it from ITV1. So not sure whether Teletext HAVE to provide the diugital service wherever ITV1 is.

On analogue terrestrial, Teletext (large 'T', the company) provides a service in transmission bandwidth allocated direct to it by the ITC.

It has nothing DIRECTLY to do with the television company on the back of whose signal it is 'piggy-backed', though for obvious commercial reasons, it names and regionalises its services to go with the channel its on the back of.

You'll notice on Channel 4 on Sky Digital, also S4C Digidol if you have it, that only the '300' magazine and the 888 subtitles are transmitted by the television company concerned.  Similarly, PRIOR to today, only the '500' magazine and 888 have been available on Channel 5.

When teletext (small 't', name of generic service) comes to ITV on Sky, I would only expect the '600' magazines and 888 to appear.

If Teletext (large 'T', the company) wanted to go on Sky, I'd expect that nice Mr Murdoch to charge them loads of bucks extra for the transmission.

(Edited by Nick Harvey at 11:40 pm on Jan. 1, 2002)