ORACLE (teletext)
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| Broadcast area | National UK |
|---|---|
| First airdate | from 1970 |
| Closed | 31 December 1992 |
| Replaced by | Teletext |
| Owned by | ITV |
ORACLE (from "Optional Reception of Announcements by Coded Line Electronics") was a commercial teletext service first broadcast on the ITV network in the mid-late 1970s and later on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, finally ending on both channels at 23:59 UTC on 31 December 1992.
It was developed and launched by a consortium backed by the Independent Broadcasting Authority at about the same time as the BBC's Ceefax service. Due to the lack of available receivers, exact launch dates have been left obscure. Receivers became popular around 1980.
ORACLE moved away from being an experimental engineering department and more towards being a content provider. Under the original plans for the ITV franchise renewal, they were to have been scrapped at the end of 1992 and the few scan lines they used given to the highest bidder. ORACLE successfully campaigned for the creation of a franchise for the teletext service on ITV and Channel 4, only to find themselves outbid by Teletext Ltd., a consortium originally comprising Associated Newspapers, Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. and Media Ventures International, who started broadcasting at midnight on 1 January 1993.
At various times of the day, ORACLE pages were broadcast in vision, albeit mostly on Channel 4, although occasionally pages were shown during the night on ITV.
Shown between 1983 and the start of 1997, 4-Tel on View was a magazine featuring previews of the day’s Channel 4’s programmes as well as back-up information and other features, such as the adventures of a dog called 4-T. From 1983 to the start of breakfast television in April 1989, the 4-Tel magazine ran for 15 minutes and was repeated several times each day. However following the start of breakfast television, 4-Tel On View was shown in a single block before the start of programmes. Even though ORACLE lost its franchise at the start of 1993, 4-Tel On View continued to be shown and from 1993 until Channel 4 started 24-hour broadcasting at the start of 1997, 4-Tel On View was shown throughout Channel 4’s entire closedown period.
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