Mobile gadget boost for BBC iPlayer views
THE NUMBER of viewers watching BBC iPlayer on mobile or tablet devices has more than doubled in the last year, according to figures released yesterday by the BBC.
In April, 28m iPlayer shows were streamed via a mobile or tablet device – accounting for 15 per cent of total requests – compared to 11m in April 2011, or seven per cent of total requests.
The proportion of viewers using internet-connected devices such as Smart TVs is also on the up, accounting for five per cent of shows streamed compared to around one per cent last April.
But the vast majority – almost 60 per cent – of iPlayer shows are still accessed via the more traditional computer.
The BBC said it streamed an average of 190m shows per month between January and April of this year, comprising around 143m TV episodes and 46m radio shows. An average of 5.5m shows were requested each day.
The most popular iPlayer show in the four month period was the series two debut of Sherlock – A Scandal in Belgravia, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman – which was watched 2.53m times.
The BBC also announced its iPad app is the UK’s top free app of all time.