VRT to scrap Teletekst after 36 years of service

Flemish public broadcaster VRT has announced that it will stop publishing new messages on Teletekst on 1 June. The service has been running for 36 years but has been overtaken by online services, the broadcaster said.

Teletekst was launched in 1980 to provide news, a TV guide and cultural agendas on TV screens. Users have been dwindling in numbers for years, with the rise of social media and the various VRT websites, including De Redactie and Sporza. When the broadcaster negotiated its latest management agreement with the government of Flanders, it did not include Teletekst as a core function.

The savings resulting from scrapping the service will go to the development of other news channels “so that Flanders can find fast and accurate news coverage and background information where they are looking for it,” VRT said.

VRT will continue to use Teletekst 888 as a source for requesting subtitles, including those for the hearing-impaired.

Photo courtesy VRT