82% digital switchover rate in Australia

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy has announced that 82 % of Australian households have already converted to digital TV.
The information comes from the Digital Switchover Taskforce’s latest Digital Tracker Summary Report for Q2 (April-June 2011).
Darwin has the highest conversion rate with 89% converting by the end of June. Tasmania came next with 86%, then Adelaide at 85%, followed by northern New South Wales at 84% and southern New South Wales at 83%.
The report also showed that the number of converted households in regional Queensland had increased to 84% during the quarter, well ahead of the regional Queensland switchover scheduled for the 6th December 2011. This is up from just 46% in early 2009.
“With 100 days to go until analogue TV signals are turned off forever, regional Queensland is well on track for the switch to digital-only TV,” Mr Conroy said. “The number of digital-ready households in the Remote Central and Eastern Australia TV licence area (which includes areas of South Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania) has more than doubled since early 2009.”
The Australian government’s Household Assistance Scheme (HAS), which is helping eligible households to receive digital free-to-air TV signals, completed the 50,000th HAS installation at a house in Rockhampton, Queensland on the 2nd September.
Source: Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union
Item added: 5th September 2011