Are you ready for Digital TV?

More than 13 million households with television sets that can only receive analog broadcasts are currently unprepared for the transition to all digital broadcasting that is scheduled for February 18, 2009, according to the Nielsen Company. Another 6 million households have at least one television set that would no longer work after that date.
“The change to all-digital broadcasting is the most significant change in the history of television, because unlike other advances such as color, older television sets will no longer be able to receive television signals without a converter, “explained Eric Rossi, Senior Mgr, Product Leadership of Nielsen’s digital transition preparedness team.
Nielsen found that adults over 55 are better prepared than younger households; and Whites and Asians are more ready than Blacks. More Hispanic households still rely on analog, over-the-air broadcast television than non-Hispanics.

· 10.1% of all households would have no access to television signals if the transition occurred today.
· 16.8% of all households have at least one analog television set that would not work after the switch.
· New York is the most ready local television market and Portland is the least prepared.

These estimates are based on the same national and local television rating samples that are used to generate Nielsen television rating.

As of November 1st, 2007, 13.7% of TV households in the U.S. were equipped with an HD television and HD tuner capable of receiving signals in HD (HD Capable), while 11.3% are equipped with an HD television and HD tuner and receive at least one HD network or station (HD Receivable).
Los Angeles has the highest penetration of HD Capable homes (20.4%) and New York has the highest penetration of HD Receivable homes (17.5%). Nielsen also reports that among U.S. Hispanic or Latino households, 10.4% are HD Capable and 8.2% are HD Receivable. Among African-American households, 8.1% are HD Capable and 6.9% are HD Receivable.

TV HHs /HD Capable
FYI- Dallas-Ft-Worth 2,435,600 /425,420
Atlanta 2,310,490 /345,680
Detroit 1,925,460 /238,830

Other Relevant TV Facts:
· There were an average of 111.4 million TV homes in the U.S for the 2006 -07 season
· The average U.S. TV home has 2.5 people and 2.8 television sets
· 28% of U.S. TV homes have Digital Cable
· 64% of homes have wired cable hook-ups and 23% have satellite or specialized antenna systems to receive television signals
· 82% of U.S. homes have more than one television sets at home
· 84% of U.S. homes have a DVD player

Housley's Footnote: All full-power analog TV stations must, by law, stop analog broadcasts as of Feb. 17, 2009. Now he asterisks: That date still holds unless a bill currently in Congress is passed, in which case stations on the border with Mexico would not have to stop analog broadcasts until 2014 so that their Mexican viewers would not be denied their signal. Stations near the Canadian border might not be switching to digital on Feb. 18th either. Rather, than send workers to the top of towers in the middle of winter in Maine or Montana, the FCC will give some stations the flexibility to shut off analog early, or decease their coverage areas. Then there are the low-power and translator stations, thousands of them, that won't be switching over to digital on Feb, 18th at all. Many low-powers won't be making the switch until 2012 or so. Anyway, the converter coupon program as going well, but the DTV clock countinues to tick.