ITV Digital was a British
digital terrestrial television broadcaster which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network. Its main shareholders were
Carlton Communications and
Granada plc, two franchises of the
ITV network. Starting as
ONdigital in 1998, the service was re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001. Low audience figures and an ultimately unaffordable multimillion-pound deal with the
Football League led to the broadcaster suffering massive losses; these forced it to enter
administration in March 2002. The service ceased permanently in June 2002, with the terrestrial
multiplexes subsequently taken over by
Crown Castle and the
BBC to create
Freeview in October 2002.