More fresh in from PA:
GAME LOOKS OVER FOR SETANTA
By Kelly Macnamara, Press Association City Staff
The future of troubled sports broadcaster Setanta was thrown into doubt today
as rescue negotiations failed and a key football contract was cancelled.
A potential deal with US tycoon Len Blavatnik's Access Industries, thought to
be worth #20 million in return for a 51% stake in the broadcaster, collapsed
after "a number of issues" were not resolved in time, the investor said.
The news comes as a further blow for Setanta, which today lost its licence to
broadcast 46 Premier League football matches next season after failing to meet
"certain contractual obligations".
An Access Industries spokesman said: "Access believed that this proposal could
potentially have secured the future of the broadcaster for its customers,
employees and for football, provided certain conditions required to put the
business on a long-term viable footing were met.
"Regrettably, despite intensive efforts on all sides over the past few days,
and despite significant progress in a number of areas, there remain a number of
issues which we have been unable to resolve within the time available."
mfl