iPlayer app hits 20 million downloads

The BBC has announced that its iPlayer app for iOS and Android devices has been downloaded over 20 million times in total, as mobile and tablet TV viewing overtakes TV viewing from the PC.

Christmas Day 2011 and 2012 marked the top days for app downloads, with 229,200 and 385,600 downloads, respectively, which is most likely a result of the beginning of the smartphone and tablet boom.

In September 2013, a record 70 million TV requests came from mobiles and tablets, compared to just five million in September 2010. TV requests from mobile devices now make up 41% of all iPlayer requests – up 35% in three years.

The BBC notes that downloading TV shows has grown in popularity since the launch of ‘mobile downloads’ in September 2012, with one episode of Top Gear reaching 92,000 downloads.

Victoria Jaye, Head of TV Content for BBC iPlayer, said: “Twenty million downloads of the BBC iPlayer mobile app marks a golden age of public service television and 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.”

However, some industry experts have played down the figures, with Decipher’s Nigel Walley taking to Twitter, saying: “Three of those [downloads] were me. Another five around the house. Between us we watched it once in October?”

Although unconfirmed, it is generally understood that iPlayer only accounts for 2% of BBC consumption.