BBC releases new version of iPlayer

The BBC has launched a new version of its iPlayer today, after running it as a beta since June this year.

The new iPlayer has a simpler design, as well as boasting new recommendation features and social media aspects.

The service should also be faster than the previous iPlayer.

James Hewines, iPlayer head, said: “Given that we’d be making some major changes to a popular product, we were very conscious of the need to be careful.

“While some users are generally receptive to change (especially where it brings obvious benefits) others may be more cautious. The key design challenge was to add in these richer, more interactive capabilities without detracting from the overall simplicity of the experience.

!It’s been possible to reconcile these competing goals (richer interactions, simpler experience) by making some basic design decisions that keep things simple – most notably separating TV from radio, and reducing the number of modules on the BBC iPlayer homepage.”

The BBC iPlayer is currently used by 5 million people each week.