iPlayer fans hit one million mark

Viewer numbers steadily increasing

15 January 2008 11:19 GMT / By Katie Scott

Following on from a bumper Christmas, the BBC has now announced that its iPlayer has hit the one million viewer mark.

The Corporation says that more than 3.5 million programmes have been watched by more than a million people using the online video service since Christmas Day.

On average, 250,000 programmes were either streamed or downloaded each day following the launch on 25 December.

According to BBC figures, the number of users streaming content outnumbers downloading by a factor of eight.

Nearly half of all programmes streamed or downloaded were placed outside the top 50 most popular shows, the BBC added.

But the most popular programmes watched via iPlayer since launch included the Doctor Who Christmas Special, Top Gear and the Christmas edition of EastEnders.

Ashley Highfield, the BBC's director of future media and technology, said it "demonstrates how on demand services can bring niche programming to a wider audience".

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