It was reported yesterday that ITV Digital had attracted as many as six potential buyers since administrators Deloitte & Touche put the service up for sale on Monday.
However, talks last night between the Independent Television Commission and administrators from Deloitte & Touche have failed to reach a solution and sources quoted by The Times say the outlook is "increasingly pessimistic".
Of the buyers identified yesterday, which are thought to include venture capitalists and at least one management buyout team, none are thought to be willing to pay the £340,000 a day that is needed to keep ITV Digital going as a service.
The liquidation of ITV Digital will come as a blow for owners Carlton Communications and Granada, which have spent close to £1bn on the service. It will leave more than 1m homes in the UK without a digital television service and blow a hole in the government's digital TV plans.
Among the bids being seen as the most serious was a management buyout led by either ITV chief executive Stuart Prebble or ITV Digital managing director Rob Fyfe.
Steven Grabiner, who works for Apax Partners and who was chief executive when the broadcaster was known as ONdigital, has also been linked to a bid.
On Tuesday, the Football League, which is owed £178m by ITV Digital, was being touted as one potential buyer. The liquidation will likely be followed by many league clubs going under, as they are unable to meet financial commitments.
Some parts of the service have already been switched off. ITV Digital has pulled its ITV Select movies-on-demand service after Deloitte stopped funding it.
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