Administrators ready to step in at Setanta?

CASH-strapped sports broadcaster Setanta could be forced into administration this week after failing to make payments due on TV rights.

Deloitte are on stand-by to act as administrator for the firm unless they agree a last-minute rescue with their investors, Sunday newspapers claimed.

The Irish firm, which televised England's 4-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Kazakhstan on Saturday, is struggling to pay cash owed to football associations under its rights deals.

Setanta - which was unavailable for comment - has about 1.2m customers but this is well below the 1.9m needed to break even, according to a report in yesterday's Sunday Times.

If the company fail to cut their rights payments or raise more cash from investors and fall into administration, it could trigger a fire-sale of TV rights, including the England team's away qualifiers and FA Cup matches.

ITV and Setanta won the contract from the FA in 2007 before the recession hit, impacting on advertising revenues.

The FA are said to have rebuffed attempts by Setanta to reduce their pounds 150m share of the pounds 425m four-year deal by 25%.

Setanta also have rights to screen matches from the Premier League, which is awaiting a pounds 35m payment , the Sunday Times claimed.

Last week, Setanta failed to pay the pounds 3m owed to the Scottish Premier League under the final instalment of this season's TV deal, and have until today to come up with the cash.

Setanta has also been seeking to cut the price of its current pounds 125m deal with the SPL, which is to pay the pounds 3m outstanding from funds to their 12 member clubs to ease the financial pressure.