BBC suspends closure of Red Button text service after protests

The closure of the Red Button service has been suspended (Picture: Pixabay)

The BBC has suspended the closure of its Red Button text service after protests.

It comes a day before the service was due to start being phased out over the next few weeks.

The decision was made after a petition was handed to the BBC and Downing Street by the National Federation of the Blind of the UK.

MP ​Damian Collins has tweeted a letter from Tony Hall saying he would make a decision in the spring.

🆕 JUST IN: So pleased Tony Hall has agreed to my request to suspend the @BBC’s decision to end the Red Button service 🔴 I’ll be meeting with him and groups representing those most affected to discuss the best way forward @NFBUK @BDA_Deaf pic.twitter.com/WXaRbbyuFL

— Damian Collins (@DamianCollins)

January 29, 2020

Red Button text, which enables headlines, football scores, weather and travel news to be read on TV sets, was launched in 1999, taking over as Ceefax was phased out.

Last year, a BBC spokesman said the decision to end the service had not been taken lightly.

"We have taken it because we have to balance the resources needed to maintain and develop this service with the need to update our systems to give people even better internet-based services," he added.