DTV Transition Could Impact Up To One-Third Of U.S. Households: Survey
Leichtman Research Poll Finds People Are Generally Aware But Fuzzy On Specifics
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 6/10/2008 4:26:00 PM
About 34% of all U.S. households are at risk of losing broadcast reception to at least one TV set as a result of the digital transition next February if no action is taken, according to the Leichtman Research Group.
Consumer research released Tuesday from LRG found that 14% of primary residences nationwide with at least one TV set do not subscribe to cable, satellite, or any other type of multichannel video service. In addition, 24% of households that subscribe to a multichannel video service have at least one TV set that only receives broadcast programming.
LRG’s research found that 84% of all adults had heard of the digital transition, the switch to all-digital broadcast signals next year, nearly double the rate from six months earlier.
Among those who have heard of the digital transition:
-- 30% of non-subscribers to a multichannel video service believe that it will have no impact on their TVs.
-- 41% of cable or satellite subscribers with a broadcast-only TV set think that it will have no impact on their TVs.
-- 45% with annual household incomes under $30,000 feel that they need to know more about it—compared to 28% with incomes of $30,000 to $75,000 and 19% with household incomes over $75,000.
These findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,601 randomly selected households from throughout the United States and are part of a new LRG study, “Cable, DBS & Telcos: Competing for Customers 2008.”
