ITV Digital facts

Launched 1998 as onDigital Funding �800m Subscribers 1.3m Break-even forecast 2003 23% of customers leave after a year �315m football deal

Lawyers representing the administrators said that discussions with the football league - which is owed �180m by the channel - were at a crucial stage.

ITV Digital is the sole client of the call centre at Pembroke Dock and the site is the county's largest private employer.

The troubled broadcaster has dismissed as speculation rumours that its Welsh call centre could pay the price for its money worries, with the loss of the 900 customer service jobs.

The channel went into administration at the end of March after the League refused to accept reduced payments for the right to broadcast its games over the next two years.

It signed up to an exclusive �315m three-year deal with the League, �178.5m of which is still outstanding.

Monkey has not been able to rescue ITV Digital

League officials turned down an offer of �60m last Friday.

The court was told that the shareholders, Carlton and Granada had declined to make further funds available at this stage.

The chairmen of the clubs in the football league meet on Thursday to consider any revised offer from the ITV Digital administrators.

Launched to a fanfare in November 1998 as onDigital, ITV Digital has attracted just 1.3m subscribers to its digital-through-an-aerial offering.

SkyDigital now numbers 5.7m satellite customers, however.

High-profile advertising, but low take-up

Left reeling after the industry-wide crash in advertising revenue and a big fee to broadcast Nationwide League football coverage, owners Carlton and Granada could now want ITV Digital to either negotiate a new deal or end its deal with the league.

In 2000, the Welsh Assembly hoped 1,100 call centre jobs would be created at the Pembrokeshire site, purpose-built by the Welsh Development Agency.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan hailed the arrival of Cyber Bay - a facility for New Economy companies - as a "the beginning of a new era" when employment agency Manpower took control of the site with infrastructure supplier 7C in February of that year.

It was the biggest investment for three decades in the jobs black spot, far west of the more prosperous M4 corridor.

The area had been hit by cutbacks in the local oil industry and military services.