15% of internet users watch iPlayer

15% of UK internet users or 5.2 million people now watch the BBC iPlayer service, according to Ofcom’s sixth Communications Market Report into TV, radio, broadband, telecoms and mobile industries. This figure is double the amount that were watching the service last year. Ofcom’s research identified that TV viewers are taking more control over their TV schedules, choosing how, when and where to watch programmes either through a digital video recorder (DVR) or catch-up services on TV and online.

Ofcom said that nearly a quarter of households were watching catch-up TV online in 2008, compared to 17% in 2007.
By the end of March this year more than a quarter of UK homes had a DVR—an increase of 29% since September 2008, according to the regulator.
Around a fifth (19%) of viewing in Sky+ homes is time shifted, more than for subscribers to Virgin Media’s V+ service who time shifted 12% of viewing. Some 9% of viewing in Freeview DVR homes was time-shifted programmes.
Ofcom’s research also found that 17.6 million HD-ready sets have been sold in the UK and are in nearly 9 million households.