BBC unveils ‘transformational’ iPlayer revamp

The BBC has unveiled a host of new features for the iPlayer, which it claims will “transform how you watch your favourite BBC TV shows” on the catch-up service.

From today, the BBC is introducing: cross-device pause and resume; live restart on connected TVs so that viewers can click to watch an on-air programme from the beginning; and a ‘my programmes’ area that will list shows a user has favourited or has started but not finished watching.

The BBC said that the new features are part of its strategy to make the iPlayer more personal and that in the future the ‘my programmes’ section will include tailored recommendations.

“This raft of new features promises to give users even greater control over their iPlayer experience, ensuring they’re never late for a BBC TV broadcast again and providing easy access to the programmes they’re enjoying on BBC iPlayer whether at home or on the move,” said head of BBC iPlayer Dan Taylor-Watt.

The roll out comes after the BBC updated its iPlayer mobile app for Android and iOS devices in July with a new menu that it says is now consistent across both platforms.

Last week, the BBC said that TV requests to the BBC’s iPlayer online service were up 18% year-on-year, and increased slightly month-on-month in July, even though TV viewing typically dips in the summer.

According to BBC stats, 196 million TV programming requests were logged in July, compared to 165 million a year earlier and up 1% from 194 million in June.

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