BBC To Launch iPlayer Download For Macs In 2008

BBC director general Mark Thompson has said that a download version of the iPlayer for Apple Mac users is to launch this year.

The iPlayer is currently available in two versions: a program allowing users to download shows to their Windows PC and a streaming version available to all users.

Writing in a blog posting on the BBC website, Thompson said that the original download launch just for Windows users was in order to make the service available to the greatest amount of users in the shortest time frame.

Writing of the Mac launch, he said: “I hope this good news is evidence of the hard work that the BBC is committing to supporting other platforms.”

He added: “Were we to choose to not develop any systems or services until they could be received by every single individual licence-fee payer, our capacity for development and innovation – in the interest of serving those who fund our services – would be severely limited.”

In January the BBC revealed that over 3.5 million programmes were streamed or downloaded on-demand via the iPlayer within a fortnight of its marketing launch on Christmas Day (see 3.5 million Programmes Watched On BBC iPlayer At Christmas).

A report from analyst Screen Digest published earlier this week forecast that the iPlayer will be the driving force behind web TV growth this year (see BBC iPlayer To Aid Web TV Growth).

However, it added that the iPlayer’s dominance is building a precedent for free services that is making it harder for revenue-generating commercial strategies for online video to establish themselves.

Meanwhile in January, Hitwise reported that UK internet traffic to the BBC iPlayer website increased 14-fold between the weeks ending 8 December 2007 and 5 January 2008 (see UK Internet Traffic To BBC iPlayer Increases 14-Fold).

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