The free on-demand TV and radio service has proved a huge hit with UK-based audiences since its launch back in 2007, and now picks up more than half the video-on-demand traffic among rival services based in the country, with around eight million TV- and radio-show requests hitting its servers daily.
The extension of the viewing window starts today, giving audiences a much longer time frame in which to view their favorite shows or search out new ones.
Announcing the move, BBC director Tony Hall said the iPlayer “pioneered online viewing,” claiming that it’s now recognized as “not just the first, but the best service of its type in the world.”
Hall added, “Extending the catch-up window to 30 days now makes the best value on-demand service even better. We have a fantastic autumn schedule and the public will now have more opportunities to watch the shows they love.”
The BBC had been looking into the launch of a paid, international version of the service, but last year announced it’d shelved the plan in favor of integrating a selection of its content into its bbc.com website.
The iPlayer can be accessed in a variety of ways, including via cross-platform mobile apps, a dedicated website, games consoles, and TV platform operators.
In March the BBC rolled out a new version of the iPlayer, redesigned from the ground up, making it easier to find both familiar and new content. It also improved the viewing experience, tailoring it to the platform being used.
The corporation has also been adding original, iPlayer-only content to the service, a move that has helped to build its user base even more.
[Via TNW]
