The BBC iPlayer is an impressive invention that is satisfying a very important consumer need: delivering quality content through a seamless platform. The product rivals platform Hulu with its design and user-friendly interface. While it only broadcasts BBC radio and TV content, it does so with excellence. According to GigaOM’s interview with Richard Titus, who oversees user-experience and design at the BBC, the iPlayer “accounted for nearly 20 percent of the total broadband traffic in the UK, and at present has garnered about 10 percent of the total UK broadband audience.” Later this month, they are planning to release their iPlayer for Mac, which is certain to increase those numbers even further.
The iPlayer is the result of three years of experimentation by the technicians at the BBC. They were attempting to create a peer-to-peer TV distribution client. It did not work well and last year the BBC abandoned the idea altogether. Having invested the time and money, however, they changed tactics and finally developed the iPlayer.
Here is a news report describing the platform. Just the first third of the video is about the iPlayer.
How does it work? You download the iPlayer software to your computer and gain access to a very large library of BBC TV and radio programs. Whenever, wherever. Moreover, the videos are available in a variety of formats, which include high-quality forms such as H.264. On average the iPlayer services the TV viewing needs of about 300,000 people-which has caused concern with other British broadband providers as it poses a threat to their networks.
Using Flash-based playback technology the iPlayer has smooth play that does not stutter. Liz Shannon Miller on NewTeeVee mentions that “because the BBC is funded by license fees and taxes, all episodes are commercial free, matching approximately with the content currently running on the broadcast networks - which is incredibly easy to navigate and search through, thanks to the clean layout and organization.”
Having an iPlayer for Mac will broaden their field a bit more and increase the versatility of the BBC’s subscriber base. Watch for the launch later this year.
For more news about the iPlayer check-out our older articles about the iPlayer updates and VOD rivals Virgin.
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