Poll Shows High Awareness of Digital TV Switch Among Minority Groups

October 23, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC — With the transition to digital television (DTV) only four months away, a new poll released today by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) shows significant increases in awareness among Hispanics and African-Americans.

In a national telephone survey of 4,402 households, 92 percent of Hispanic respondents were aware that broadcast television signals will be switching to an all-digital format, a four-point jump since NAB's May survey. This number equals the national awareness level, which is also at 92 percent and considered to be nearly universal.

Awareness of the transition is even higher among Spanish-speaking Hispanic households at 95 percent, up considerably from 89 percent in May. The poll found African-American awareness of the DTV transition also growing at 86 percent, up one point from May.

"Hispanic households have shown dramatic gains in awareness-the largest of any group since we began tracking DTV awareness," said Seth Geiger, president of SmithGeiger LLC. "Overall awareness among African-Americans remains strong, with depth awareness having significantly increased over the past 10 months."

Both Hispanic and African-American households demonstrate substantial advances in depth awareness, including knowledge of the transition date and the available options for upgrading to DTV.

Progress on Transition Date

More than half of both Hispanic (52 percent) and African-American (57 percent) respondents could state the correct transition date, marking considerable progress over the past 10 months. By February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the country must begin broadcasting only in digital.

NAB Survey Date	Hispanic homes that knew date	African-American homes that knew date
January 2008	22%	12%
May 2008	33%	32%
October 2008	52%	57%

Taking Action

Among the transition's most affected minority households - those relying only on over-the-air broadcasts - significantly more are taking advantage of converter boxes, the lowest-cost option for upgrading to DTV.

• 69 percent of Hispanic broadcast-only households have applied for a coupon, shopped for or purchased a converter box. This is more than a two-fold jump from 29 percent in May.
• 64 percent of African-American broadcast-only households have applied for a coupon, shopped for or purchased a converter box. This number doubled from 32 percent in May.

"We are encouraged to see such high levels of awareness among key minority populations," said Jonathan Collegio, NAB vice president for the DTV transition. "Broadcasters will continue targeting their outreach efforts to prepare these communities-some of the most at risk of losing reception-for the transition."

The survey was conducted September 28-October 5 by SmithGeiger LLC and has a margin of sampling error of +/- 2.4 percent.

NAB is leading a massive consumer education campaign valued at more than $1 billion to prepare the public for the DTV transition. Consumers who use antennas to watch television on analog TV sets will be affected by the switch.

Minorities, seniors and rural communities have a greater concentration of over-the-air homes, putting these populations at higher risk of losing reception. Over-the-air viewers can upgrade to DTV by either purchasing a low-cost converter box or a digital TV set, or by subscribing to cable, satellite or other pay service.