Teletext disappears from Belgian TV

It is the end of an era. Teletext – a technology dating from the 1970s – has been phased out from Belgian radio and television operator RTBF’s main channels.

From this week, only the sub-titling service will remain accessible for those who need it. Flemish public broadcaster VRT scrapped its Teletext service in 2017.

From the 1970s to the late 1990s, Teletext and its brightly coloured writing was a popular way to read the news and catch up on sports scores or share prices.

With the remote control, TV watchers could scroll through these pages while still listening to the audio of their chosen television programme.

“You could not search in the text. You can just choose the page that you want to see,” said RTBF operations and distribution director Jean Vanbraekel.

Before the internet took off, teletext was the only way of finding information quickly without having to wait for the next news bulletin.

People also used Teletext to check the weather forecast, lottery results or even job offers from Wallonia’s employment office Forem.

But now, much quicker and more effective ways are available to access these services; notably via the internet.

Moreover, the RTBF is modernising all its distribution platforms so spending time and money to keep this little-used technology would not be worth it: its budget could be used elsewhere.

“There is no value added,” said Vanbraekel, adding that Teletext’s demise is linked to this renewal plan, and so conserving and investing in such a technology would no longer have any sense.

“Teletext is really not used any more,” RTBF spokesperson Axelle Pollet added, emphasising that other information channels – radio and digital – are far more reactive.

In addition, the RTBF received very few complaints following its announcement in November 2023 that it would be ending the service.

Teletext was also used to sub-title programmes for the deaf or hard of hearing via page 888. This function will not disappear and its budget will not diminish.

“Modern TVs integrate sub-titles naturally when you call for them in the menu,” said Vanbraekel. But people who have much older models will still be able to use teletext, he made clear: “These will be the last pages that we use.”

Vanbraekel and Pollet add that the legal obligation to use Teletext ended years ago. “We could have already ended Teletext on 31 December 2018,” he added.