BBCi

BBCi is the brand name for the BBC's interactive television services. The name was introduced in November 2001 and originally encompassed the corporation's online services, which were returned to their original name, bbc.co.uk, from May 6 2004.

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The services are broadcast on digital cable, digital satellite and digital terrestrial television (Freeview). They include text and video based services, and enhanced television programmes which offer extra information, video or quizzes.

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BBCi, the new Digital Teletext Service for the BBC, replaces most of CEEFAX, the oldest teletext service in the world. However, CEEFAX can still be received via analogue broadcasts. Additionally on Freeview it provides a service allowing viewers to access a quarter sized video of BBC Parliament.

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Initially launched in 1999, the BBCi digital text service has been criticised for taking a long time to load and being hard to navigate. Navigating to lottery results requires navigating through many submenus, whilst on CEEFAX users could enter simply enter the page number 555. The BBC has attempted to rectify these problems by reintroducing page numbers - on November 10 2004 they introduced CEEFAX-style page numbers on Digital Satellite and page numbers on the Freeview service were introduced in December 2004. The page numbers used are the same as those of CEEFAX, although BBCi exclusive pages are given a 4 digit number.

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In September 2005, BBCi launched an update to the interactivity available from the BBC's Radio channels on Freeview. Originally only Radiotext was available. After the update, users could access information about the programme, schedules, news, sport and weather.

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The same team behind the BBC's digital text service also launched the early incarnations of the BBC's Interactive Wimbledon and Interactive Open Golf services in 2000, which were awarded an Interactive Bafta that year.

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BBC: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It produces programmes and information services: broadcasting on television, radio, and the Internet....

Interactive television: Interactive television describes any number of efforts to allow viewers to interact with television content as they view. It is sometimes called interactive TV, iTV, idTV or ITV (not to be confused with the British Independent Television network)....

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