More Americans Are Aware of the DTV Transition, But Slow to Take Action Aug 12, 2008

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Consumer awareness of the digital television transition is at an all time high, but many over-the-air households are slow to take the steps necessary to continue to view television when analog signals cease, according to the latest digital transition awareness survey from the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS).

As of May 2008, 62% of over-the-air households said they would opt to buy a converter box or digital television, compared to 28% in November 2006.

But, the APTS study found that the majority of the 8.8 million over-the-air households who said they would buy a set-top converter box to continue to receive free over-the-air television have not done so.

Among all television households surveyed, only 9.2%--10.3 million households--said they requested a coupon. Of those that have requested a coupon, 64.4% said they received the coupon, and 54.2% had redeemed the coupon. Roughly 38% of those who redeemed the coupon reported installing the converter box.

About 70% of over-the-air households said they know what they need to do to continue to view television after the transition.

The APTS study also found that as the transition date nears, fewer over-the-air consumers said they would sign up for cable, satellite, or telecommunications service to receive digital television, while more are inclined to buy a converter box or digital TV set. Those that said they would sign up for a paid service had dropped from 29% in November 2006 to 12% in May 2008.

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