BBC iPlayer


Summer of sport boosts iPlayer

The BBC reported a 37% increase in summer iPlayer traffic this year thanks to major sporting events, and said it is bringing a raft of new updates to the online player. Live coverage of Glastonbury, Wimbledon, The Euros and The Olympics helped BBC iPlayer, the on-demand player of the UK pubcaster, reach an average of […]

iPlayer licence fee law comes into effect

A change to UK law requiring viewers to buy a licence fee in order to watch programmes on-demand from the BBC iPlayer comes into effect today. The law change marks the first time that UK viewers are required to pay to access non-live BBC programming via the web – with the licence fee previously only […]

iPlayer loophole closure blocks 4,000 hours

British viewers choosing not to take a television licence before September 1 will lose access to nearly 4,000 hours of on-demand programming, according to new analysis. A recent UK law change saw the BBC ‘iPlayer loophole’, which currently allows households to access programming on-demand such as Doctor Who and Sherlock (pictured) without paying, closed. This […]

Netflix is most popular UK on-demand service

Netflix is by far the most popular paid-for video-on-demand service in the UK, and is increasing its lead, while BBC iPlayer is the most used among all VOD services, according to the latest edition of Ofcom’s Communications Market Report. According to the survey, 23% of UK adults used Stranger Things network Netflix on average each […]

UK nets’ factual spend hits £522m, kids down

New Ofcom stats show UK public broadcasters spent more on factual programmes in 2015 than in the previous seven years, totalling £522 million (US$687 million), though children’s programming hours dipped to a 17-year low. The PSBs – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – saw factual investment at its highest point since 2008, […]

Sky launches contract-free, triple-play Now TV box

Sky’s standalone digital service Now TV has launched what it claims is the UK’s first contract-free triple play bundle – offering TV, broadband and call bundles. The Now TV Combo is due to launch next month alongside the latest generation of the Roku-powered Now TV Smart Box – which includes a new homepage and frequently […]

‘40 jobs at risk’ as BBC plans £15m online cuts

UK pubcaster the BBC could cut 40 jobs from its online division as part of a round of cuts aimed at saving £15 million (US$21.7 million). The plan, resulting from an ‘Online Creative Review, will likely see around 11,000 recipes on the BBC website removed or archived, with magazine-type content and local news also stripped […]

BBC licence fee remains, alongside subs trials

The UK government has committed to retaining the current licence fee model of financing the BBC for the coming eleven-year Charter period, while pointing to a number of areas where a subscription model could be trialled. The government has said it will “modernise the current licence fee system to make it fairer” including closing the […]

BBC iPlayer gets first third-party content

UK on-demand service BBC iPlayer will launch a pop-up channel that represents the first time it has offered third-party content on the platform. A ‘Shakespeare Live’ portal had been created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of celebrated British playwright William Shakespeare. This will include content from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the British […]

Rivera leaves BBC tech post after reshuffle

BBC digital director Ralph Rivera has left his role as a result of the restructuring of the BBC’s technology teams. However, Rivera will continue to be employed by the BBC on a six-month contract to look into how the BBC can be used to support education in the UK. The move follows the appointment in […]