Nielsen: 2.5 Million Homes Affected by DTV Transition

NEW YORK: Nielsen estimated that around 2.5 million homes went without television over the first weekend following the switch to digital, representing around 2.2 percent of TV households in the U.S.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration received more than 319,000 requests for the $40 government coupon being offered on Thursday, the day ahead of the switch-off, and another 428,000 on Friday, the day of the switch. As of yesterday, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration said there were about 2 million DTV-to-analogue converter box coupons that had been requested but not yet mailed out.

Even with the converter box, some viewers have reported problems receiving local stations. The Nielsen ratings indicated only slight declines last weekend.