The BBC’s iPlayer app has been downloaded more than 20 million times, it has been announced.
The landmark figure is especially impressive as only UK viewers can tune into TV using the iOS and Android software.
Launched in February 2011, the app’s success comes as the BBC reveals more people watch TV on tablets and mobile devices than on PCs.
age of public service television
content for BBC iPlayer. “It cements iPlayer’s role as BBC
Television’s fifth channel, enabling audiences to fit their enjoyment of
the full range of BBC programmes around their busy lives.”
There were more than 70 million requests to stream or download programmes using the iPlayer app last month.
Popular request times included weekday mornings for mobiles devices and
post-10pm for tablets. Daytime viewing is popular at weekends with
people catching up on Saturday night TV on a Sunday.
Somewhat
unexpectedly, the most downloaded individual show is an episode of Top
Gear which was watched 92,000 times using the app.
“With over 20 million downloads of the app and record-breaking BBC iPlayer requests on handheld devices, we are thrilled that viewers are increasingly taking their favourite BBC shows with them to watch whenever and wherever they are,” said Dan Taylor, head of BBC iPlayer for BBC Future Media.
“And with tablets the top of many people’s Christmas list for 2013, we expect this to continue to grow even further.”
On top of the success of iPlayer, the BBC has been working on two news services.
It’s partnered with Spotify, YouTube and Deezer to provide new app Playlister which allows users to save and playback a list of tracks heard on BBC channels. Plus, new function BBC Store will give viewers the chance to download and keep shows.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
