La TV da sfogliare

Il Televideo come apertura verso nuovi scenari digitali

Abstract

The introduction of Rai’s Televideo in the mid-1980s marked a historic shift in Italian television: the possibility of reading and exploring written information on the TV screen, transforming viewers from passive consumers to active participants. As Italy’s first teletext system, it offered text-based content and simple graphics, providing viewers with new ways to access information and foreshadowing a web-like experience. This study examines (i) the design features of Televideo and (ii) the changes it brought to television usage, emphasizing how the system, despite technical limitations, paved the way for a new form of television interaction supported by intuitive graphics. This interaction eventually expanded to include features like subtitles and software access via TV. Televideo was heavily promoted by traditional media and television, presented as a newspaper to browse through Rai campaigns, articles in Radiocorriere, print ads, and TV and radio spots, aiming to teach the public how to explore its features independently.