ORACLE (Teletext) - Definition and Overview

ORACLE (Optional Reception of Announcements by Coded Line Electronics) was a commercial teletext service broadcast on ITV and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1992.

It was developed and launched, by a consortium backed by the Independent Television Authority, 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. In the ITV franchise renewal, they were outbid by Teletext Ltd., who started broadcasting at midnight on January 1, 1993. Because of the rivalry between the two companies, ORACLE did not carry television listings beyond its closing date.