iPlayer 2.0 Launched

A new version of the BBC's iPlayer has been launched for testing - testifying to the continuing popularity of broadband video.

The so-called "iPlayer 2.0" has been re-designed for increased functionality, with a new, "last played" section which allows viewers to show the last programme or radio show they viewed or listened to through the device. In addition, broadband users are allowed to resume viewing at the point at which they paused a show in a previous session.

A TV schedule has also been built-in to the iPlayer page on the broadcaster's website. The BBC launched the online video player in December 2007 in order to allow viewers to watch and listen to streamed shows for up to seven days after they were originally broadcast. It joined similar services from rival channels such as Channel 4's 4OD player.

Commenting on the iPlayer 2.0, Erik Huggers at the BBC said: "We've learned quite a bit over the last 12 months about what our audience likes… and we've continued to innovate quite substantially."

The popularity of the bandwidth-hungry iPlayer has sparked controversy recently, however. Broadband providers in the UK including Tiscali said earlier this year that the BBC and other broadcasters should pay money back to the firms, due to the strain that their video services put on networks.
 

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