BBC iPlayer introduces Partner Linking

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17 February 2011 16:28 GMT / By Paul Lamkin

First announced back in May 2010, the BBC has finally gone live with its Partner Linking within the iPlayer, meaning that you'll be able to search for loads more online video on demand content using the platform, not just programmes shown on the Beeb.

Six video on demand providers are included in the BBC's new service; ITV, Channel 4, Five, SeeSaw, S4C and MSN Video Player.

The service works by taking feeds from the partners containing all their scheduled and archived programme information. If it's possible to watch episodes on line, a link is provided and when the content isn’t available the programme title is greyed out and the words (not available) appear underneath.

"It's been a while in the making, but this has been an extremely ambitious and technically complicated project," explained Paul Clark of BBC Future Media and Technology.

"We wanted to get to a user-experience that feels intuitive and not 'bolted on', even though the experience is as much reliant on the data feeds from our partners as our own engineering."

The move is part of the BBC's plans to "serve as a hub to support other UK sites" and it sees Partner Linking as "an important public service".

It's live now, so go give it a go. Oh, and if you were planning an epic Peep Show marathon - here's the link.