BBC iPlayer app coming to Android

[bassethound]

Daniel Danker, the BBC's general manager of Future Media & Technology, has announced that an application for iPlayer will be made available on Android devices later in the week.

In a blog posting, Danker also confirmed that the catch-up platform would launch on Apple's iPad this week, after a BBC engineer let the news slip earlier today.

Danker said that the iPlayer app on Android and iPad will enable users to watch the corporation's live TV and radio, as well as catch up on seven days of content. There will also be options for personalisation of the service.

He noted that the iPlayer app won't be available on all Android devices, just those running version 2.2 with Adobe Flash 10.1 Player installed.

Due to the Flash streams used by the BBC, the app will require a WiFi connection to ensure a smooth viewing experience. The iPlayer app will run on all iPads, but still require a WiFi connection for streaming.

Also in the blog posting, Danker noted that over Christmas growth in usage of iPlayer on mobile devices outpaced PC by more than 2-to-1, and tablet usage outpaced PCs by more than 20-to-1.

Discussing the apps, Danker added: "This is about getting the basics right, simple apps that makes best use of the portable touch-screen experience. We'll be looking to build in more features throughout the year."

The iPlayer apps will be in the Android and Apple app stores by the end of the week, most probably Thursday.

[jcm193]

This is a nice idea but I for one would be terrified to use because of the amount of bandwith it would use,it maybe good if you can find a decent wifi hotspot or if your at home not that I would use it at home as i would just use bbc iplayer on my laptop.