The BBC has announced a major overhaul of its iPlayer streaming service, its biggest revamp since its launch in 2007.
The revamp, to be rolled out in 2020, comes as the public broadcaster battles for viewers in the U.K. with the likes of Netflix and Amazon, with the competition only set to heighten as Walt Disney and Apple launch their own streaming services in the coming months.
The new-look iPlayer — which the BBC expects to become the key way people view its programs as the U.K. slowly migrates from traditional television to streaming — will span live-streaming, catch-up, box sets and podcasting. In a significant development, content will now also be made available for a 12-month window instead of the current 30 days following recent regulatory approval.
BBC content director Charlotte Moore, speaking at a launch event later Monday, is set to describe the iPlayer as “the heart of everything we do.”
BBC director general Tony Hall is expected to say: “iPlayer is a great service. But it can and will be even better. The BBC’s combination of backing great and different ideas, alongside a complete reinvention of iPlayer, will mean a unique service that will be of huge benefit to the public. It will be a new front door for British creativity. There are exciting times ahead.”
