Patterned after the British Post Office's Prestel system,[1] it started as a videotex service requiring users to have a special terminal, the AT&T Sceptre.

[4][5] A feature tying Viewtron to local newspapers was envisioned, with printed text instructing users how to access further information online, but it was never implemented.

Despite being initially restricted to the chiclet keyboard-equipped AT&T Sceptre terminal, Viewtron's developers foresaw that general purpose personal computers would soon become the preferred way to consume online content.

The Viewtron software was written from the beginning to be easily portable, and the work was able to be completed within 24 hours after the decision to refocus on home computer development.

[8] Viewtron did not initially allow users to send private messages to each other, a conscious decision by Knight Ridder to exert editorial control.

"[11] Known as "Bowsprit", Viewtron underwent a test period in 125 upper-income homes[12] in Coral Gables, Florida from 1980-1981, where it was determined that customers would pay up to $600 for the required terminal.

[19] Shortly after Viewtron's launch, Vice President Reid Ashe circulated a memo noting slower than expected sales and infrequent usage patterns.

[23] Instead of effectively becoming an online service provider, Knight Ridder decided to concentrate on its core news business,[24] and Viewtron was discontinued on March 31, 1986.

[25] According to Philip Meyer, director of News and Circulation Research for Knight Ridder at the time, "We made the mistake of thinking in newspaper analogies.