Some interesting mobile iPlayer statistics came out of the BBC yesterday, revealing that the corporation streamed 5.3 million programmes to iOS-enabled devices and just 6,400 to Android devices via its video-on-demand service.
The information was released after a Freedom of Information request was submitted to the BBC, to “understand the take-up of iPlayer Flash streaming for Android 2.2 phones in July.”
Currently, the only (edit: official) way that Android users can view BBC iPlayer content is by visiting the iPlayer website and invoking the built-in Flash Player functionality to display the content. Given that Flash support is only available to users with Android 2.2, the ability to watch shows has only been available to Android users for less than a month on most devices.
The Android Market used to have an unofficial BBC iPlayer app, this no longer worked when the BBC changed the way it streamed its programmes. [Our readers have pointed out that there is a new app called Myplayer that will allow iPlayer access on Android phones]
For owners of the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, the corporation built a specific iPhone portal nearly two years ago that would specifically format shows for iOS devices (remember, iOS devices will never officially support Flash). Non-2.2 Android devices should be able to access the same HTML5 streams that are available for iOS devices but the BBC blocked access to them because of “content protection considerations” that restrict delivery via HTTP.
The Guardian quite rightly points out that an iPlayer app could be on its way to older versions of Android, especially after the BBC Trust approved the development of official apps last month.
The streaming statistics were as follows:
- In July 2010, 1,026 hours of programming were streamed from the BBC iPlayer to Android
devices. - In July 2010 6,400 programmes were streamed from the BBC iPlayer to Android devices.
- For complete weeks since 23 June, the average weekly number of Android device users accessing
programmes from the BBC iPlayer was 1,106, peaking at 1,896 in the week commencing 26 July
2010. - In July 2010 there were 5,272,464 programmes requested via the BBC iPlayer from Apple iPhone,
iPod Touch and iPad devices. - In July 2010 there was an average of 230,016 Apple mobile devices users accessing programmes via
the BBC iPlayer each week, peaking at 248,700 in the week commencing 26 July 2010.
Android users need not be too disheartened, Android 2.2 (Froyo) updates are gradually making their way to handsets, increasing the amount of people that will be able to view programmes without the need for a specific app. That said, an iPlayer app is thought to be in development, giving all Android handset owners the ability to catch-up on their favourite BBC content.
You can view the iPlayer on android devices by using the unofficial iplayer app “myPlayer” which no doubt the BBC have no statistics for. This application does in fact still function perfectly on Android and with the latest version of iPlayer so i’m not sure The Guardian have done their research properly.
I would also like to point out that Flash in the android browser is obviously only widely supported in Android 2.2 and is only gradually being rolled out to handset owners. As an HTC desire owner I have only had it since the middle of august (so obviously couldn’t have watched the iPlayer via the browser during July when the statistics were based) and many of my Android owning friends have yet to have got it, which makes sense of the fact that only 6000+ programmes have been streamed.
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hmmm. given that 2.2 was released just a month ago. and since obviously not everyone would have downloaded it yet.. and since obviously not everyone who downloaded it would watch bbc…. somehow.. 6400 is actually an interesting figure to indicate where Android is headed.
I’d like to view BBC content on my Android v2.1 device. Until I receive Android v2.2 or until the BBC releases an official Android player, I was hoping to use the “MyPlayer” app that’s described by the author; however, that app doesn’t appear in the (U.S.) Android Market for me.
Hey Matt, great article. Wanted to let you know that I seem to still be unable to stream live or pre-recorded content via my Android handset. I’m stateside, and longing to stream Radio 1 on my mobile device. The myPlayer app apparently is only offered to the UK Android Market users, and also will not allow streaming to non-UK originating IPs (source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=6774591#post6774591) I realize that the Flash Player support in Froyo might make it possible, but it’s clunky to use a browser to initiate a stream, and lots of sites have small buttons that need to be zoomed to touch-click on. It’s just not as easy as loading up a streaming app, selecting ‘Favorites’ and then my station.
@Readers: I’m waiting for that day to have an app that will allow the BBC live audio streams to come to my US handset w/o the use of the browser. Any ideas for how I can do this?
Thanks for the update on myPlayer, but it isn’t new at all, i had it on my G1 back in February 2008.
Well the BBC have “stompped” on myPlayer, it no longer supports iPlayer streams, at least on the WM6.5 version that I have been using for years – but I am sure it will be both. The author has been told to remove the iPlayer functionality “or else”. It’s crazy that this is the only way to get iPlayer on many Android (and Windows) phones and that the BBC have forced the author to remove support without offering an alternative is just madness! Talk about encouraging people to hack. I have jst got a WP7 device so the poor state of iPlayer on Android makes me quake for what is going to happen on this new platform. The Beeb seems to love iOS and ignores everything else.