By Frank MacekIn their last report issued on Wednesday before the June 12th switch to all digital tv, Nielsen is reporting that 2.8 million homes across the nation are still unready for the transition with just two days to go.
This number is nearly half what it was in February when President Obama requested a delay from February 17th to June 12th. Nielsen reports the number of homes "unready" fell from 5.8 million to 2.8 million by Wednesday.
Nielsen also estimated that 36% of "unready" TV sets from November 2008 were ready as of the end of April. Most purchased a digital converter box (70%), while some subscribed to cable (20%) and the rest to satellite (10%).
The Cleveland/Akron/Canton DMA is the 12th most "unready" market of the 56 metered by the ratings company. This translates into 3.67% or 55,965 homes that still need to take steps to receive all digital signals by Friday or lose their over-the-air (OTA) coverage.
Nationwide, African Americans and Hispanic homes are disproportionately "unready", while those aged 55+ are most prepared.
If you are wondering how Nielsen determines an "unready" vs "ready" tv set, an "unready" set is one that IS NOT connected to a cable service, satellite service, or a digital converter box - or is a newer tv with an internal digital tuner.
To read or download the complete report: CLICK HERE
Source: Nielsen
