3 opinions: who should foot the bill for HD?

Kit Hawkins, CEO, Sculpt the Future (UK)
If it isn't necessary but the broadcaster wants it for their archives then they should pay for it. If it's not required by the broadcaster but the production company chooses to shoot in HD to gain more international value then that perhaps should come out of their own budget. But I think generally speaking, broadcasters should always pay for everything; I'd always fight for that anyway.

David Pounds, CEO, Electric Sky (UK)
I think it should be a shared responsibility. The broadcaster is ultimately responsible for providing new HD platforms to the viewer, but producers still want their content to be shown in its best production quality. Technological advances are an expense for both producers and broadcasters but that has always been the case and we have to move with the times.

Harold Gronenthal, SVP, Rainbow International (US)
It would be great to say the burden should be equally shared, but it's not going to be. If the production company is doing it as a requirement of the network, then you might make the case that the network has to cough it up. But I think if I'm the production company, I've got to be a little more forward thinking on this and get a little ahead of the curve.