BBC’s iPlayer service is getting more Netflix-style features, including cross-device resume

The Beeb is rolling out changes for its iPlayer streaming TV service over the course of the next few weeks that will bring new features to the platform, as well as extended hardware support for existing options.

Among the changes is the new option to start and resume watching a particular program from different devices, in the same way you can using something like Netflix or Amazon Prime streaming. To use this feature, you’ll need to be signed in for it to automatically recognize which point you got to in a particular show.

Cross-device resume will only be available on the desktop, tablets and mobile for now, so smart TVs and streaming media boxes will have to wait a little longer for support to be added.

There’s also now a new section called ‘My Programmes’, which keeps track of shows you’re part-way through and when new episodes of your favorite shows are ready to watch. This section is already available for people accessing via the desktop version and will roll out to iPlayer’s mobile and tablet apps before the end of the week.

Rounding off the notable changes is an extension of the BBC’s Live Restart feature, which lets you restart a show that’s being broadcast live from the beginning. While this option has been available on the desktop since 2012, it’s only just now starting to make its way across to other devices.

The BBC says YouView, Roku, NOW TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One other connected TV sets, as well as the iPlayer mobile and tablet apps “in the coming year.”

➤ BBC iPlayer enhancements: Live Restart on your TV, My Programmes and cross-device resume [BBC via Engadget]

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