BBC revamps look and feel of iPlayer on TV

The BBC has revamped the look and feel of the TV version of its iPlayer on-demand platform.

From today, users will find that the navigation menu of the service has moved to the left hand side of the screen – which the BBC says will make it easier to browse different categories like comedy, drama or sport.

The change is also designed to give more space on the screen for content, enabling viewers to see programmes they may want to watch.

The new look will begin rolling out for some viewers today and will be progressively rolled out for iPlayer on TV in the coming weeks.

The BBC said the change was part of a wider effort to modernise the user experience across its digital services and apps.

Following the changes to the way iPlayer looks on TV, the BBC will also make changes across mobile and web.

The broadcaster said that the new menu has been usability tested with adults, children, and people with accessibility needs and that its engineering team had conducted rigorous testing to ensure the app continues to provide a high-quality experience across thousands of devices.

The BBC said that the changes are the first of a number of iterative updates from us as we strive to create a better user experience for audiences on web, mobile and TV across BBC iPlayer,

“Our research tells us that audiences think some of our services look old fashioned and out of date. They want a modern BBC that is easier to use and navigate to find the content they love and enjoy. The more content people find that they love, the more they will get from the BBC,” said chief customer officer Kerris Bright in a recent blog post.

“Over the coming months we will be modernising all aspects of our services so the experience feels coherent wherever you access our content. We’ll join the dots between the different bits of the BBC through simplified layouts and graphics. For example, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds are already evolving to help our audiences discover more of what’s available. There are plenty of little changes, designed to make a big difference and we’ll introduce them gradually across our services. iPlayer and Sounds will continue to change over the next six months and beyond, while News, Weather, Sport and Bitesize will follow after that.”