Digital transition may leave only 4-5 million OTA  ATSC viewers

Speaking at the Promax/BDA conference in New York City June 18, Centris’ senior vice president Barry Goodstadt said that the DTV transition to the ATSC system will decimate the over-the-air (OTA) television audience in the United States, potentially leaving as few as 4 million to 5 million households relying solely on off-air reception.
He contended the nation’s transition to digital television transmission will likely have the unintended consequence of making viewers re-evaluate how they receive local television. When they do, up to 13 million households may scrap off-air reception in favour of cable, satellite or Telco TV, Goodstadt predicted.
The nation’s broadcasters have long dealt with shrinking OTA audiences. For instance, the number of OTA households has fallen from 23.9 million in the first quarter of 2004 to 16.9 million in the first quarter of this year, according to estimates made by Centris. But the potential rapid decline triggered by the DTV transition is unprecedented.
Full article at: BroadcastEngineering
Item added: 26th June 2008