Clock ticks for Setanta as it halts new subscriptions

Ailing sports broadcaster Setanta Sports has officially stopped accepting new subscriptions as it fights to stay afloat.

The broadcaster, which is close to entering administration, has closed the subscription service on its website and posted a message that reads: “The company has not gone into administration. All our channels are still broadcasting across all platforms. However, we have decided to suspend temporarily the acceptance of new subscriptions.”

UK telco BT’s IPTV service BT Vision has stopped selling Setanta Sports packages, while cable operator Virgin Media has yet to take that step.

Setanta is still hoping for a last minute rescue package, although a rumoured bid from the group’s founders has yet to materialise. Earlier this week, pay-TV operator BSkyB turned down the offer of a wholesale deal from Setanta worth £50m (€58.4m).