The BBC produced about 600 hours of HD original content in the past 12 months, and likely will replicate that number in the year ahead. But HD productions will likely jump after the BBC initiates it own regular all-HD channel, which currently continues testing and a formal inquiry period for BBC viewers via the BBC Trust (HD Notebook, May 30, 2007).
An executive for BBC Training and Development said, “As a marketplace, HD is definitely growing. And if you are going to produce content from a U.K. perspective, you need to think about the future: HD is here, and it is here to stay,” according to Digital Spy.
Beyond the creative aspects that HD production and post will afford programmers, another BBC official said HD content of U.K. shows (such as “Dr. Who”) can be sold globally, which is why some BBC series have been produced in HD long before they’ll ever air in HD.
But BBC execs said at a recent seminar in London that producers who think broadcasters might foot the bill for the somewhat more expensive HD productions (perhaps up to 25 percent more costly, they said) are sadly mistaken. “There is no pot of gold for HD [production],” one official said.
