BBC Red Button BBC Red Button BBC Red Button is a branding used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. The service was launched in September 1999 as BBC Text. It was relaunched in November 2001 under the BBCi brand and operated under this name until late 2008, when it was rebranded as BBC Red Button. The "red button" name refers to the common interface on remote controls for digital televisions and set-top boxes, a red push-button which launches digital teletext services. Although initially marketed as
Teletext systems as the "Broadcast Teletext Specification". With some tweaks to allow for alternative national character sets, and adaptations to the NTSC 525-line system as necessary, this was then promoted internationally as "World System Teletext". It was accepted by CCIR in 1986 as "CCIR Teletext System B", one of four recognised standards for teletext worldwide. In France, where the SECAM standard is used in television broadcasting, a teletext system was developed in the late 1970s under the name "Antiope". It had a higher data rate and was capable of dynamic page sizes, allowing more sophisticated graphics. It was phased out in favour