Just nine months from now, at least ten million homes will be unable to receive television programs on any set and 15 million more will have at least one set that will not function. Those estimates are included in a new report, "The February 2009 Digital Television Transition," released today (Tuesday) by Nielsen Media Research on the potential effect of the switchover from analog to digital set for next Feb. 17. The study indicates that network morning programs are likely to be particularly affected by the switch since many of the incompatible sets are secondary units located in kitchens and bedrooms. The study shows that exclusively Spanish-speaking households are the least likely to have purchased settop converters or subscribed to cable services that will allow them to continue to receive television programs. While they represent 2 percent of the U.S. population, they make up 10 percent of completely unready households. African-American homes also show a relatively high percentage of unready sets. The study also shows that some markets are better prepared for the transition than others. In Milwaukee, for example, 18.3 percent of households are completely unready for the switch, while in New York only 3.8 percent are.
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