3.1% of TV HHs not ready for DTV.

3.5 million or 3.1% of U.S. TV households remain completely unready for the transition to all digital broadcast that will take place on June 12, 2009. That is an improvement more than 100,000 households in two weeks with just seven weeks until the transition.

Nielsen’s readiness data are based on sets and households in our National People Meter panel, which is projectable to U.S. television households, and our local metered panels, which are projectable to their respective television household populations.

Some key trends at the national level include:

• In the last two weeks, the penetration of Completely Unready households in the U.S. declined three-tenths of a percentage point to 3.1% or 3.5 million households.

• Hispanic households improved readiness by four-tenths of a percentage point, but remain less prepared than the composite with 5% completely unready.

• There was no change in the level of preparedness among African American households.

• Households headed by younger adults continue to progress toward preparedness with a two-tenths of percentage point improvement.

Among the 56 metered markets, which represent approximately 70% of all U.S TV households, Albuquerque-Santa Fe remains the least ready market with 8.77% completely unprepared; Dallas-Ft. Worth is next with 6.62% of TV households not yet ready. On the other end of the spectrum, Providence-New Bedford is now completely ready. There are now three markets with less than 1% of TV households completely unready – Hartford & New Haven, Oklahoma City and Baltimore.

To view chart with markets CLICK above on ‘More Images’.