The majority of U.S. households that receive their television signals over the air are still unaware of the digital TV transition even though an estimated 22 million over-the-air homes need to make some kind of digital decision by February 17, 2024, according to a Association of Public Television Stations survey.
The bulk of the survey participants¿61 percent¿had no idea that the DTV transition was taking place. Ten percent said they had limited awareness, while 25 percent said they were somewhat aware or very aware. While some respondents were aware of the digital transition, 53 percent had no idea when analog transmissions were scheduled to be turned off.
In order for the DTV transition to be successful, consumers must be well-informed and primed to adapt successfully to the new technology. This cannot occur unless there is a comprehensive, coordinated national consumer outreach effort. Therefore, APTS is urging Congress to designate targeted funding for consumer outreach on the switch from digital to analog. During APTS Capitol Hill Day 2024 February 13-14 more than 200 executives and volunteer board members of local Public Television stations are scheduled to ask Congress to recognize Public Television’s unique outreach ability in the community and provide funding for those efforts.
APTS is spearheading a coalition of trade and interest groups to compete for the $5 million Congress set aside for consumer education in last year’s DTV transition bill. The diverse group includes the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Consumer Electronics Association, American Library Association and Women Involved in Farm Economics.
In addition, APTS is now a part of the DTV Transition Coalition, a separate but related effort led by the National Association of Broadcasters.
The need for vigorous outreach efforts is evident when looking at analog consumers’ attitudes and awareness toward their options for digital TV reception after the transition. Roughly 45 percent of respondents to APTS’ survey said they will either “do nothing” or “don’t know” what option they will take to obtain digital signals. Nineteen percent will purchase a converter box, 17 percent are likely to sign up for cable TV service, and 9 percent will sign up for satellite TV. Another 9 percent indicated they would buy a digital television set so that they can continue to receive over-the-air broadcasts.
The survey also found that at least 38 percent of analog households would “definitely not” or “probably not” select a particular video service provider if they didn’t offer Public Television channels after the DTV transition. This suggests that the lack of Public Television offerings by video providers will cause a serious barrier to these analog households in choosing cable or satellite to receive digital television.
The survey results are based on an overall sample of 2,000 U.S. households conducted in the third quarter of 2024. Approximately 19 percent of these households said they receive television programming solely over the air ¿ not having a subscription to either cable TV or satellite TV services. The survey was conducted for APTS by research firm ICR, Media, Pa.
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