iPlayer sees Christmas boost for tablets and smartphones

The BBC iPlayer catch-up service attracted 77 million requests for TV and radio programmes over the Christmas holiday period from December 22 and January 1. The figures exclude Virgin Media’s network, for which data is not yet available.

January 1 was the most popular day for iPlayer viewing, with 6.7 million requests. Doctor Who – The Snowmen was the most popular show on iPlayer, with 1.467 million requests, followed by the Christmas Day episode of soap opera EastEnders with 1.401 million and series three, episode one of comedy show Miranda, with 1.323 million.

Viewing on tablets and mobiles showed spikes respectively of 40% and 66% on Christmas Day compared with Christmas Eve, according to the BBC. The iPlayer app had been downloaded 13 million times by the end of 2012.