Editing ITV Digital (section)

====Effect on football clubs====
[[File:Valley Parade Mainstand 2016.jpg|thumb|ITV Digital's collapse contributed to Bradford City F.C. being put into administration]]
Following the proposed Football League merger, with the lucrative finances it proposed, ITV Digital's collapse had a large effect on many football clubs. [[Bradford City F.C.]] was one of the affected, and its debt forced it into administration in May 2002,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/bradford-ready-for-greatest-comeback-in-clubs-history-183252.html|title=Bradford ready for greatest comeback in club's history}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/3027857/Bradford-City-put-into-administration.html|title=Bradford City put into administration|date=16 May 2002}}</ref> followed by [[Leicester City]] in [[2002–03 Leicester City F.C. season|October]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Leicester City put into administration |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2349397.stm |url-status=live |publisher=BBC News |date=22 October 2002 |access-date=25 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603130230/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2349397.stm |archive-date=3 June 2004}}</ref>

[[Barnsley F.C.]] also entered administration in October 2002, despite the club making a profit for the twelve years prior to the collapse of ITV Digital.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/oct/03/newsstory.sport10|title=Barnsley go into administration|last=Staff and agencies|date=3 October 2002|website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name=BarnsleyRecord>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/itv-digital-collapse-almost-destroyed-us---1026759|title=ITV Digital collapse almost destroyed us – now I fear SPL sides could suffer same fate, warns ex-Barnsley chairman|website=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]|date=10 June 2009|access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref> Barnsley had budgeted on the basis that the money from the ITV Digital deal would be received, leaving a £2.5 million shortfall in their accounts when the broadcaster collapsed.<ref name=BarnsleyRecord/>

Clubs were forced to slash staff, and some players were forced to be sold as they were unable to pay them. Some clubs increased ticket prices for fans to offset the losses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itsroundanditswhite.co.uk/articles/the-effect-of-the-itv-digital-collapse-on-lower-league-football|title=The Effect of the ITV Digital Collapse on Lower League Football|date=12 March 2014}}</ref>

The rights to show [[Football League]] matches were resold to [[Sky Sports]] for £95 million for the next four years compared to £315 million over three years from ITV Digital, leading to a reduction from £2 million per season to £700,000 in broadcasting revenue for First Division clubs.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2097852.stm |title=Football League agrees £95m TV deal |date=5 July 2002 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref name=Earthquake>{{cite web|url=http://twohundredpercent.net/earthquake-the-collapse-of-itv-digital/|title=Earthquake: The Collapse of ITV Digital|website=twohundredpercent.net|access-date=30 September 2019|archive-date=1 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201050646/https://twohundredpercent.net/earthquake-the-collapse-of-itv-digital/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In total, fourteen [[Football League]] clubs were placed in administration within four years of the collapse of ITV Digital, compared to four in the four years before.<ref name=Earthquake/>