Remember Teletext? We know what’s next for the “ancestor” of the Internet

At the end of the last century and at the beginning of this century, the Internet was no longer a novelty in Poland, but became an everyday reality. At that time, there was another digital window to the world under our roofs: teletext. The solution was very popular at the time, and some people probably spent hours combing through the local resources Teletext. There are also those who still do it. Perhaps the latter are afraid that the service will soon disappear. The information obtained by Telepolis.pl shows that Teletext fans can sleep soundly – Teletext will not be killed in the near future.

Why are we exploring this topic now? First of all, out of curiosity – we are talking about an important tool in our digital history. But there is another reason: at the end of February this year. Teletext stopped functioning in our southern neighbor. The Slovak public broadcaster STVR has decided to switch off teletext after almost four decades of its operation. The decision is said to be due to the declining popularity of this service – the number of users simply did not correspond to the costs incurred.

Slovaks are not the first to turn off the lights, rather they are part of a broader trend. Suffice it to say that the BBC, the pioneer of teletext services, abandoned the tool at the beginning of the last decade. Similar decisions were made by broadcasters from Europe, through Asia, to Oceania. It was usually explained in a similar way: the solution is an open-air museum used by a handful of people. There is no point in refreshing it, it has to be closed.

Between the Bug and Oder rivers, teletext is offered by TVP and Polsat. I asked the representatives of these broadcasters a number of questions regarding Teletext. The private entity stated without ceremony that Teletext is a niche product. Yes, it has its users, but they are a marginal group. And in business terms, teletext is peripheral. So why is the company keeping this technology alive?

The main reason for its availability is a technical requirement in the licenses of some entities

Therefore, there is no question of any particular sentiment. At the same time, however, it has not been specified when the plug will be pulled. It may be a ball on the Titanic, but the orchestra does not abandon its instruments.

Telewizja Polska does not plan to turn off teletext either. From the answers provided by this broadcaster, it can be concluded that Telegazeta… is doing well.

In a study conducted by Telewizja Polska in 2025, 17% of adult Poles declared that they used Teletext. The most popular sections are “News”, “TV Schedule”, “Sports” and “Weather Forecast”

Representatives of the public broadcaster also informed us that Teletext still attracts advertisers. And this happens, among others, due to the wide range of users and attractive prices. The service also generates revenue from advertisements. At the same time, the tool does not consume significant TVP resources – the team that makes it up is smallit consists of people from various units: from the content editorial office, through the technology unit, to the advertising department.

It is worth adding that the public broadcaster has several teletext channels. Specifically, eight: TVP1, TVP2, TVP3, TVP Polonia, TVP Historia, TVP Kultura, TVP Sport and TVP Seriale. Representatives of this entity argue that “each of them has a slightly different character and is aimed at a specific group of recipients, responding to their information and entertainment needs.” You can ask a question here: what content does Teletext offer today?

It should be indicated, among others: for news – both foreign and domestic. In addition, there are sports and business reports (WSE quotations and NBP rates), service announcements and various thematic sections. In this universe, the user will find a TV program, cooking recipes, a calendar, but also marriage offers and those from fortune tellers. Indeed, a lot depends on which teletext the viewer uses.

Perhaps someone has just felt the urge to browse these websites and is complaining that there is no way to do it because, for example, there is no TV at home. Don’t worry, all is not lost – you can use the Telegazeta.pl website. It has even been recently rebuilt, so you shouldn’t worry that it will disappear in a day or two.

As a summary, I will quote a fragment of the response sent to us by TVP: