Virgin Media has agreed to offer the BBC's iPlayer service to its 3.4m video-on-demand cable customers. The deal, starting today, represents the first time that the iPlayer is available via cable on TV sets. The agreement, which follows similar deals with Apple and Nintendo, is part of the BBC's efforts to bring the iPlayer to the widest possible audience. "We are looking to offer the BBC iPlayer to as many partners as possible," a BBC spokeswoman told StrategyEye. She said the BBC is talking to a "number of people" but that the service would remain limited to the UK. She declined to comment on whether it is in talks with BSkyB, after its chairman James Murdoch branded the iPlayer as anti-competitive.
Launched last Dec, the iPlayer is a free online service that lets users select and watch BBC programmes from the last seven days. Users watch more than 1m shows on it every week, says The Guardian, adding that the iPlayer reportedly accounts for about 5% of all traffic in the UK. The BBC, however, denies that the partnership with Virgin Media was motivated by a need to alleviate bandwidth issues.
Under the deal, Virgin TV viewers will be able to access the iPlayer directly from the BBC channel, without having to access the internet. Virgin Media, which offers some 4,300 hours of TV content, will also integrate the iPlayer's programming into its electronic guide.
