Adminstrators of failed digital platform seek quick sale as eleventh-hour talks fail
ITV Digital was last night put up for sale as a 'going concern', after last-ditch talks between Carlton, Granada and the Football League over the ITV companies' £178.5m debt collapsed, writes Luke Satchell

Hopes were raised for a late rescue of the digital terrestrial platform when Carlton and Granada met with the Football League on Friday for the first time since ITV Digital was put into administration just under a month ago.

However, no progress was made and administrators Deloitte & Touche announced yesterday that a buyer for the business would now be sought. 120 redundancies were also announced in a bid to make it more attractive to interested parties.

Deloitte & Touche is now in talks with the Independent Television Commission (ITC) over the sale of the platform. The ITC must approve any change of ownership, and has said it will do all it can to ensure a quick sale. It has also assured ITV Digital's remaining 1.2 million subscribers, a figure that is currently falling at the rate of 4,000 per day, that their screens will not go blank while talks are ongoing.

Meanwhile the Football League plans to fight-on for full payment of the £178.5m it is owed, and is still threatening a £500m court case should Carlton and Granada refuse to pay.