We have talked several times about the coming transition from analog to digital broadcasts next year and the potential problems TV watchers getting over-the-air broadcasts face. A new study from Centris says that over half the current OTA watchers are in challenging digital reception areas.

"We have completed an analysis of the entire country to identify where in each market the receptivity gaps exist and now have exact figures for the number of at-risk households down to individual census block groups," says David Klein, Executive Vice President of Centris. "The statistics suggest that digital TV signal coverage will be significantly more limited than currently anticipated and further reinforce the need for industry and consumer education on this issue," he adds.

According to the study, 54% of U.S. households are located in areas where digital reception will be difficult to get. These gaps in coverage aren’t tied to rural outlying areas as you might expect, rather some very large cities are cited in the study. The number one problem city is New York City and LA ranks 4 on the list of problem cities.

Via Centris