3.1 Million Households Still Unready for Transition

05.29.2009

With two weeks to go before the end of analog broadcasting, Nielsen released figures this week showing that 3.1 million U.S. TV households remain “completely unready” for the DTV transition that will take place June 12.

That figure represents approximately 2.7 percent of U.S. households who are unprepared. Since mid-May, more than 200,000 households have taken steps to prepare for the analog shutoff; African-American and Hispanic households have shown the greatest improvement in level of preparedness but still remain less ready than the national average. Households headed by younger adults improved their readiness by four tenths of a percent. Households headed by older adults are better prepared than the national average, according to Nielsen.

Among the 56 metered markets, representing approximately 70 percent of all U.S. TV households, Albuquerque-Santa Fe remains the least ready market with 8.4 percent completely unprepared, followed by Dallas-Ft. Worth at 6.37 percent. Conversely, Providence-New Bedford is deemed “completely ready,” Nielsen said, (Rhode Island and Hawaii are the only states where all full power broadcasters have terminated analog broadcasts). Less than 1 percent of households in Oklahoma City and Baltimore are completely unready; a total of 22 markets are now less than 2 percent completely unready.