"Compared with the others BT is in a much stronger position because it has a massive number of customer relations already, " said Toby Syfret, a television market analyst at Enders Analysis.

BBC: BT offers free Premier League football in BSkyB battle

Toby Syfret of Enders Analysis, a consultancy, argues that the BBC's heavy spending is in fact bidding up the cost of presenters and programmes, making it harder for Channel 4 and the other networks to survive.

ECONOMIST: Public-service broadcasting

"In the recession you keep your Sky because that's the number one, but if you're the number two, which is nice to have in addition... then that means you're not going to get the same number of subscribers, " said Toby Syfret, media analyst at Enders Analysis.

BBC: Setanta in talks on sport rights