iPlayer gets almost 2bn requests

The Beeb have revealed that visits to their iPlayer catchup TV service last year were on the rise with a total of 1.94bn requests for TV and radio programmes from the player coming from the plethora of different platforms that it is now available on.

The number is the highest ever for the iPlayer and, while most requests came from PC users, there was also a significant increase in demand from the other platforms that the iPlayer is available on such as smartphones, gaming consoles, tablets and connected TVs.

The BBC's general manager for Programmes & On Demand Daniel Danker said:

"While 2011 was a remarkable year for BBC iPlayer across the board, the real story was the growth of iPlayer on TVs, mobile phones, and tablets, outpacing PC growth many times over.

Having established itself as a must-have app for smartphone users and the gold-standard for TV on the go, we see huge potential for BBC iPlayer on the living room set in 2012 – the natural home for great TV – as audiences switch on to the benefits of connected TV."

Danker also emphasised that the BBC sees TV as being the natural home for such content being played in the future as opposed to via PCs.