Survey suggests confusion over switchover

[BGonaSTICK]

Price comparison web site uSwitch.com says 33m UK adults do not know when their region will change to digital-only television. Unveiling the results of a YouGov survey conducted online in May-June, uSwitch said 73% of adults either did not know or answered incorrectly when asked when their region would switch. That contrasts with a national switchover awareness level of 82% recorded by Ofcom and Digital UK's tracking survey in the first three months of 2007.

YouGov's research for uSwitch also found that just 20% of adults knew all four ways to receive digital television (via digital terrestrial, digital cable, digital satellite or broadband-enabled telephone line), while 27% either did not know or answered 'yes' when asked if they needed to buy a new TV to receive digital TV.

In Border, the first TV region to switch in 2008/2009 after Whitehaven becomes the first town in the UK to complete switchover this October, 63% of adults knew when their area will switch. That was the highest figure, while just 7% of adults in Yorkshire and Central knew when their regions would go digital (both in 2011).

Border adults also showed they were the most clued-up on how to get digital TV: just 15% might wrongly buy a new TV compared with 35% in Ulster.

Steve Weller, head of communications at uSwitch, said it was "worrying" that so many consumers were still "baffled" over switchover, and how they should prepare for it.

Source: uSwitch.com