(27 July 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: A new study released by the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) in the US finds that older Americans are significantly more likely to receive their television signals over-the-air, and are therefore less prepared than the rest of the US population to transition from analog to digital-only television in 20 months.

The study revealed that Americans aged 65 and older are consistently more likely to receive television signals via an over-the-air antenna than are Americans under 65. These findings cover the period between the first quarter of 2002 and the first quarter of 2007.

In the most recent quarter, 24 per cent of households with Americans 65 and older received their TV programming over-the-air, while only 19 per cent of younger households were over-the-air.

Moreover, the study found that of Americans aged 65 and older who rely solely on over-the-air connections to television programming, only 17 per cent own a digital TV. In addition, 41 per cent of Americans 65 and older and 55 per cent of those younger than 65 have purchased a new television set in the past three years.

The findings are suggestive that the older viewing population may not be as attuned to recent changes in TV appliance offerings and may not be spending as much time in retail outlets that sell TV sets, the study concluded.

Since this older population may not be exposed to DTV transition messaging from electronics retailers, they will need special focus in efforts to educate the public about the February 2009 end of analog TV transmissions. APTS says that it has long called for a greater federal investment in consumer education about the DTV transition.