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The owners of Setanta Sports's pay television business in the United States have agreed to sell the company to Fox Sports International, according to a report this morning. The US business is owned by Setanta founders Leonard Ryan and Michael O'Rourke, along with Mark O'Meara, a senior executive with the Irish broadcaster. The Irish Times, which reports the deal, says it is expected to close later this week. The three owners of the US business rescued it after Setanta's main business in Britain collapsed into receivership last year. The paper says it is not clear how much Fox will pay for Setanta Sports USA. Fox and Setanta have co-operated in recent years in securing live sports rights. Fox holds the rights to live Premier League football in England and sub-licensed some of the games to Setanta. The pair also last year won the US rights to the Champions League from ESPN via a joint bid. The Irish Times says that Setanta's businesses in Canada and Australia, which are also owned by the trio, are not affected by the transaction. It adds that the deal does not affect Setanta's operation in Ireland, in which the major shareholder is Denis Desmond. The paper quotes internet chatrooms in the US as speculating that Fox had recently revoked its Premier League and Champions League football rights from Setanta Sports North America, following missed payments by the Irish-based company, and would therefore only pay a nominal sum for the purchase. Setanta Sports has made no comment on the reported deal.