BBC iPlayer delivers record end of year figures

The BBC has announced that BBC iPlayer has achieved record end of year figures, making December 2008 the most successful month since its December 2007 launch, with 41 million requests to view BBC TV programmes via iPlayer.
This compared to just over 35 million requests in November 2008. The total number of requests for the year now stands at 271 million (25 December 2007 to 25 December 2008).

During the seven day period from Christmas Day to 31 December the total number of requests to view BBC TV programmes via BBC iPlayer was 8 million.
The most popular programmes on BBC iPlayer during this time included Wallace And Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death, Doctor Who Series 4: The Next Doctor, Gavin and Stacey: Christmas Special, The Royle Family: The New Sofa and Eastenders.

Jana Bennett, Director BBC Vision, said: “This was an excellent Christmas for BBC Vision as audiences fully embraced on demand alongside their traditional viewing. The fact that BBC One delivered 17 out of the top 20 programmes on BBC iPlayer and 9 out of 10 on traditional TV continues to prove that our channel brands remain strong across all of our platforms. More than ever it’s important that we offer something great for all the family and our Christmas schedules felt both rich and varied this year.”
Erik Huggers, Director, BBC FM&T, said: “This confirms that 2008 was the year of the BBC iPlayer. The service evolved dramatically throughout its first 12 months—we’ve just introduced downloading for Mac and Linux users, and a special version of BBC iPlayer for CBBC—and the innovation will continue in 2009.”