The BBC offers two different red button services that you access by pressing the red button on your remote control when on a BBC channel.

• Red Button – contains both text-based services and additional television streams. This is for those televisions not connected to the internet.
• Connected Red Button – offers a range of additional content linking to BBC iPlayer. This is the default option for televisions connected to the internet.

Some television sets no longer have the technology (MHEG) that supports Red Button. For those devices, Connected Red Button is the only solution. The television will need to be connected to the internet.

To access services in iPlayer you’ll need to sign with your BBC account. If you need help signing in, refer to our FAQ How do I sign in to BBC iPlayer on my TV?

How do I know what version of Red Button my television supports?

If it's not apparent based on the information above, or you are wondering about a television set you have yet to purchase, you would need to check the specification of the device. The technology for Red Button requires ‘MHEG’, while for Connected Red Button the device will need to support ‘HBBTV’. You may need to contact the manufacturer if you cannot find this via a manufacturer’s website or in the manual. Some newer television sets may only support HBBTV.

What to try if you are having problems with Red Button or Connected Red Button

Red Button

Follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve issues with Red Button:

• Perform a factory reset/auto retune
  Both of these actions will reset the memory of the television/set-top box. A factory reset may be called by another term, depending on your manufacturer. For example, ‘First time installation’ or ‘Shipping Condition’.
• Clear memory
  Perform an auto-tune with the aerial lead removed. This will clear the memory and remove the unwanted, stored channels. The aerial lead will then need to be put back in again and a manual re-tune completed. For more information on manual retunes see Manual Retuning - to restore reception or missing channels
• Check for updates
  It’s worth checking that the software that is running your television/set-top box is up-to-date. Refer to your manual on how to do this.
• Check whether your device is actually using Connected Red Button
  If you are trying to access Red Button text services, but instead only are presented options to access iPlayer, you are actually using the Connected Red Button. If your television/set-top box uses Freeview, and you want the red button text services, you could try disconnecting the television from the internet and restart it.

It’s possible that your television does not have the technology (MHEG) to support Red Button. This is more common on newer devices. If this is the situation for you, Connected Red Button will be the only option, and the television would need to be connected to the internet.

Connected Red Button 

Follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve issues with Connected Red Button:

• Restart the television/set-top box and check the internet connection
  It’s always worth restarting the television, by switching it off at the plug and back on again. And as the Connected Red Button requires the television/set-top-box to connect to the internet, check the internet connection. See whether iPlayer (or another on-demand streaming service) works. If it doesn’t, then the issue is with the internet connection.
• Check for updates
  It’s worth checking that the software that is running your television/set-top box is up-to-date. Refer to your manual on how to do this.
• Check whether your television is actually using (broadcast) Red Button
  If your Red Button contains text services, like news, then you are not using the Connected Red Button. Try connecting your TV to the internet if you would like to try Connected Red Button. If you still cannot access Connected Red Button, check whether your television/set-top box supports ‘HBBTV’, which is the technology required to run Connected Red Button. You may need to confirm this with the manufacturer.