The TV-based information service, Aertel, will be shut off from next week.

The RTE service has provided news, TV schedules, cinema listings, sport scores and the weather for almost 40 years.

It marks the end of an era after the service first began in a pilot-form in 1986, before formally launching in 1987.

The State broadcaster legally doesn't need to have the service anymore, so it will be permanently closed from next Sunday, October 12th.

Demand for the service as dropped in recent years since digital television and internet access has become more widely available.