BBC teletext service, Ceefax, was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into a news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas of that year, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In the late 1980s, the BBC began a process of
Service Information address of the BBC Engineering Information Department. The bulletin would then end with a rundown of the trade test colour films being shown on that particular day. ""And now we are returning to the colour test card and music until "Play School" at eleven o'clock"" would be a familiar closing phrase. "Service Information" bulletins generally lasted an average of two or three minutes but on Wednesday 25 August 1971, the longest "Service Information" bulletin known was aired, which ran for 11 minutes. A Monday to Friday "Tuning Information" bulletin was added to BBC2 in the heyday of colour coming to