National: RTÉ to scrap historical TV service

THE END of an era is upon us, as RTÉ's teletext, Aertel, will come to an end after nearly 40 years in service.

Aertel will be switched off for good on Thursday, October 12. It first went live on an experimental basis in 1986 before being launched in 1987.

The TV service provided news, sports scores, as well as flight schedules while also giving viewers the option of watching TV shows with subtitles on.

It has been running digitally since 2019, while it also provided updates throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rugby World Cup on Irish TV: Fixtures to watch live this week

RTÉ said that the teletext closure has been planned since 2019, and that the closure is "part of its [RTÉ’s] ongoing and necessary evolution into a public service media organisation".

RTÉ said that resources previously allocated to Aertel will now go towards improving other online services and that continuing the service was becoming “more difficult”, due to less support technology.

Up until last year, the national broadcaster was legally required to provide a teletext service until the introduction of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 was introduced.

Those with queries about the withdrawal of the service can contact RTÉ's Information Office via email on info@rte.ie, or phone (01) 2083434.