BBC iPlayer viewership increases significantly, particularly on the PS3

TechRadar are reporting that viewership of the BBC’s video on-demand service, BBC iPlayer, is continuing to soar, reaching a record high of 145 million people using the catch-up service in December 2010 alone.

Perhaps what is most interesting about this statistics is the increasing number of people using games consoles, in particular Sony’s PlayStation 3, to access the free service from the BBC. BBC iPlayer on the PS3 has witnessed a 31% increase in viewers month-on-month, accounting for 7% of all iPlayer impressions in December 2010.

Overall the amount of people using the BBC iPlayer is up 27% on last year, jumping from 89.7 million viewers in December 2009 to 145 million viewers in December 2010.

Daniel Danker, general manager of programmes and on demand services stated,

“In December we saw huge growth of BBC iPlayer on game consoles, connected TVs, and mobiles phones. We’re seeing impressive audience appreciation for our TV and mobile experiences, and I anticipate that growth on these devices will significantly outpace traditional BBC iPlayer use in 2011”.

Statistics like this from the BBC will be well received by Sony as they continue their push to re-brand people’s perception of the PS3 as solely a gaming device to one as a broader entertainment device.