It must have been around the turn of the century or just after, ON Digital, later renamed ITV Digital made a lucrative offer to the Football League which allowed them to divorce themselves from the deal they had with the PL.
ON Digital were launching a new platform to rival Sky and Cable companies which viewers would receive signals via a normal TV aerial but the system turned out to be fragile. Most people found ways of viewing without paying and therefore subscriptions were dramatically lower than the company had hoped for. Football clubs were promised vast sums in the deal, many of whom borrowed money on the back of the expected income but ITV Digital as it was by then called, went into administration owing FL clubs millions.
The Football League expected the parent company ITV to have to honour the contract but a court ruled that they were not responsible for the debts.
What was left of ITV Digital was bought out of admin and went on the become Freeview which is now our staple free to air TV system.
The Premier League came back into play by offering FL clubs consolidatory payments but this deal was not as good as they had enjoyed prior to ON Digital and was no longer linked to the escalating income that the PL was to see in the future.