BBC's Dr Who (Time) lords it on iPlayer

by Steven Mostyn - Dec 24 2010, 10:07

With the BBC iPlayer due to launch internationally in 2011, the mighty British Broadcasting Corporation has taken to the snowy rooftops to shout about the popularity of its online catch-up service.

Ahead of celebrating the iPlayer’s third birthday on December 25, Auntie has revealed that 1.3 billion viewing requests were dispatched to the platform during 2010, with 141 million of them arriving in November alone.

Breaking those viewing figures down yet further, Matt Smith’s debut episode as the iconic Dr. Who has been streamed 2.2 million times since it aired in April, making it this year’s most watched programme on iPlayer.

The first episode of this season’s Top Gear followed close behind thanks to 1.6 million views, while the modern re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes enjoyed considerable success with 1.4 million views.

According to Daniel Danker, the BBC’s general manager of Programmes and On Demand, it has been a “remarkable” year for the iPlayer. He also said Auntie would be looking to give even more to license payers over the coming 12 months.

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