What You Might Not Know About the DTV Transition

Think you know all there is to know about the DTV transition? Check out TRAC's quick facts and statistics.

The DTV transition is expected to boost cable television subscriptions by 1.4 million households.
– “Questions and answers about the digital TV transition, and who stands to benefit,” Associated Press. February 15, 2008.

New TVs worth $1.7 billion could be sold as part of the DTV transition.
– “Questions and answers about the digital TV transition, and who stands to benefit,” Associated Press. February 15, 2008.

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.
– Nielsen Company. February 15, 2008.

16.8% of all U.S. households have at least one analog television set that will not work after the switch.
– Nielsen Company. February 15, 2008.

Complete unpreparedness for the DTV transition disproportionately affects minorities. 12.4% of African-American, 11.7% of Asian, and 17.3% of Hispanic households report being completely unready for the DTV transition versus 8.8% of white households.
– Nielsen Company (PDF). February 15, 2008.

Partial unpreparedness (one or more unready sets in the household) disproportionately affect minority households: 19.5% of African-American, 18.8% of Asian, and 26.2% of Hispanic households are partially unprepared versus 15.2% of white households.
– Nielsen Company (PDF). February 15, 2008.

Although the program can fund about 33 million boxes (after all administrative costs), U.S. TV households have about 73 million analog-TV sets that rely exclusively on over-the-air broadcast TV, with about 45 million analog TVs in the 20 million homes that don't subscribe to cable or satellite TV.
– Hearn, Ted. “Dingell Upset with NTIA’s DTV Box Rules,” Multichannel News. March 12, 2007.