Mobile downloads now available from BBC iPlayer Radio
Mark Friend
Controller Radio & Music Multiplatform
Today we've updated the iPlayer Radio app making it possible to download almost all BBC Radio programmes on smartphones and tablets.
This builds on the BBC’s podcast service which is already widely used around the world. In April 2015, there were c.74 million downloads of BBC podcasts globally and over 30 million downloads in the UK. Podcasts such as Friday Night Comedy, Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews, The Archers, The Infinite Monkey Cage and Desert Island Discs with Kirsty Young are all downloaded more than a million times each month in the UK alone.
We are extending the benefits of downloading to almost all of the BBC’s radio output. People want to listen to their favourite radio programmes in a way that is as easy as turning on a conventional radio set but with the extra sophistication of having any show at their fingertips. This helps to explain the success of podcasting but we also know that audiences have been frustrated at the limitations such as only playing short clips of the music in Desert Island Discs and not making music programmes available as podcasts.
There is now no barrier to you listening to your favourite BBC programmes wherever you want: even on the tube or on a plane. You can listen to BBC programmes on your phone or tablet even if you don't have a Wi-Fi connection or 3G signal. You can download multiple programmes to your device and store them for 30 days. Why not take your favourite shows with you when you go on holiday? You can listen to them on the plane, on the beach, anywhere you want.
Today's launch is another big step towards ensuring BBC programmes are available wherever and whenever you want. Download the iPlayer Radio app now (follow the links below) and see what you make of it. We would really welcome your comments and feedback, especially on the downloads feature.
- For more information about the app, read Ste Brennan's post on the BBC Internet Blog.
- Dowload the BBC iPlayer Radio app for Apple iOS and Android.
- Read more about the newest development in BBC iPlayer Radio on the BBC Media Centre website.
