It consisted of a sequence of animated pages of information about ITV's upcoming programmes, features and special events, with easy listening music in the background.

The programme was generally shown seven days a week with the typical weekday show airing from 4:05 am to 5:05 am daily.

This, amongst other minor presentational changes, allowed compatibility of the service to be transmitted in 16:9 widescreen for the first time, as opposed to 4:3.

As well as providing focus on upcoming programmes, films and TV listings, it also used to offers some news from the world of entertainment.

In the past it also offered sports news and even on some occasions cooking tips, recipes and also fact files of characters from famous ITV shows such as Emmerdale and Coronation Street.

ITV Nightscreen was broadcast on ITV1, STV and UTV starting 3:50am and ending at 5:05 am most weekdays and at 6:00 am at weekends and holidays.

The programme included regional news opt-outs for the four STV sub-regions: Aberdeen & the North, Dundee & Tayside, Edinburgh & the East and Glasgow & the West.

From 1 August 2019, home shopping channel Ideal World began simulcasting during part of the overnight period on ITV.

Consequently, the two bursts of Nightscreen on UTV and Channel have now ceased as these regions now follow network scheduling due to there being no restrictions about them showing Ideal World, unlike the previous gaming programmes.

STV began simulcasting Ideal World from September 2021, meaning Nightscreen was only shown once per night on the channel, instead of twice.

On 10 April 2021, due to the death of Prince Philip, Nightscreen was broadcast continually from 12:15 am to 6:00 am without a break, in all ITV regions.

[citation needed] On 1 October 2021, the final episode of Nightscreen aired and was replaced by Unwind with ITV the following day.

Its introduction was, partially, a part of ITV's Britain Get Talking campaign, and is produced by Rock Oyster Media.

[3][6][7] Ofcom's 2019 Review of Regional TV Production and Programming Guidance stated that these promotional text-based shows could no longer be part of ITV's regional production quotas anymore (from 2021) and so ITV had to replace the Nightscreen slots with a new type of programme.

It has been criticised by many FAI League of Ireland fans who have dubbed the service "Errortel" due to the constant inaccuracies, delays & incorrect information with live scoring and reporting of games.

The final broadcast was in the early hours of Monday 22 October 2012, two days before Ceefax was switched off when digital switchover was completed.