BBC Launches New-Look iPlayer
The BBC has unveiled a new-look iPlayer which fully integrates radio and TV in one interface.
The new-look service launches in beta today and will run alongside the existing iPlayer for the next few weeks.
It allows audiences to choose to either listen again to BBC Radio from the last seven days, or listen live – while the option of a pop-out player allows users to continue listening as they browse other web pages.
‘Listen again’ users can now also rewind and fast forward in the same way that they can for TV programmes.
Erik Huggers, the BBC’s group controller for future media and technology, said: “The next generation of BBC iPlayer allows UK licence fee payers to catch up on their favourite BBC TV and radio programmes in one place – a completely unique on-demand service.
“Audiences are now able to experience the full range of BBC content – some 250 TV programmes currently available each week as well as all the BBC radio networks – in a new and more accessible way, and all for free.
“On-demand radio from the BBC has been a phenomenal success since it was first launched in 2002, with around 600 million hours listened to via streaming or the ‘listen again’ function.
“The full integration with iPlayer is a natural evolution for the audio service and an exciting step for audiences.”
Other enhancements to the iPlayer include combined TV and radio categories such as comedy and drama, a larger playback screen to watch TV programmes and a TV schedule that allows users to plan their viewing over the coming days.
There have been over 100 million requests to view programmes since BBC iPlayer launched, said the BBC. In May alone, there were 21.8 million requests to view, some 700,000 per day on average.
New figures released by comScore show that 27 million people in the UK watched more than 3.5 billion videos online in March this year (see 3.5 Billion Videos Viewed Online In March).
YouTube accounted for almost half of all videos viewed online and 99% of the videos watched on Google sites, said comScore.
The new-look BBC iPlayer will be available on other platforms for TV catch-up, including the Apple iPhone & iPod touch, and the Nintendo Wii.
Audio on demand and live streaming will also become available at a later date.
BBC iPlayer: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer