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

Administrators Deloitte & Touche have announced the television channel will be sold as a going concern after failing to reach a compromise in its multi-million pound dispute with the Football League.

The service to subscribers will remain unchanged, but the uncertainty continues for the staff whose jobs were first thrown into jeopardy in March.

One possible buyer is rumoured to be fellow broadcaster BSkyB, but its existing concerns in that area may rule it out.

ITV Digital, which is co-owned by broadcasters Granada and Carlton Communications, was put into voluntary administration last month.

A week ago administrators were given a stay of execution for a week when the High Court was told there were sufficient funds to operate for a week.

The "for sale "move came as ITV Digital said it could not afford to pay the Football League the remaining �178m it owes on a three-year contract to show Nationwide League games.

The Football League deal pushed ITV Digital over the edge

For the workers at Pembroke Dock the decision means the uncertainty over their jobs is set to continue.

ITV Digital is the sole client of the two-year-old call centre at Pembroke Dock and the site is Pembrokeshire's s largest private employer.

The sports 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.

League officials turned down an offer of �60m made ten days ago.

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

However, Sky Digital now numbers 5.7m satellite customers.

High-profile advertising, but low take-up

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 centre 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.