There’s a moment in gritty cop shows when the horribly decomposed body is found and the detective leading the missing persons inquiry solemnly intones: “This just became a murder investigation.” The failure of Setanta, the sports broadcaster, would be just such a moment.

Previously on CSI: Sports Rights. In 2006, privately held Setanta won a three-year contract to show its subscribers 46 Premier League games a year – a key to unlocking the valuable young, male pay-TV audience that gave it a foothold alongside Murdoch-controlled British Sky Broadcasting. But in February Setanta secured only half as many games for the next three-year cycle, precipitating a crisis. Meanwhile, Ofcom (playing the meticulous detective), is completing a review that will lay out ways of mitigating the impact of BSkyB’s hard-won dominance.