Some Canadians opting out of DTV rather than upgrading

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According to a report in the Canadian Press, about 7% of all Canadians received their television strictly off-air before the nation transitioned to digital broadcast during the spring of 2011. Since that time, the number getting TV off air has dwindled to 5% as a certain type of viewer has simply decided to skip traditional television entirely.


Those deciding to drop out of the television-owning universe tend to be young, well-educated, urban and interested in the arts. The profile, which came from a survey by Media Technology Monitor, notes that they also tend to either walk or use public transportation to get to their jobs.

Many in this group, already settling for the small number of local broadcast channels available rather than a full lineup of MVPD-delivered channels, have decided that rather than make the necessary investments in consumer electronics to continue receiving off-air broadcasts, has instead decided to forgo television entirely in favor of other pursuits. They get what video the want from computers or other digital devices.

Canadians with an MVPD subscription were reported to spend 16.9 hours per week watching television; OTA-only viewers clocked 10.4 hours. The group that has given up on television won’t be missed much by the TV-viewing bean-counters – they logged in an average of only 2.2 hours of viewing weekly.