Broadband providers concerned over BBC iPlayer usage

According to informitv, the popularity of the BBC iPlayer service has prompted further concern from broadband providers that the service could place significant strain on their networks.

Up to half a million programmes each day are being streamed or downloaded through iPlayer. Its growth looks set to continue, with a recent announcement by BBC Worldwide that BBC programmes will be available for purchase on iTunes in the UK.

In January over 2.2 million people used the BBC iPlayer, streaming or downloading around 11 million programmes. There were also nearly 16 million radio downloads during the month.

In comparison, only 5.6 million hours of audio and video were streamed by the BBC in the whole of 2006-2007.

According to Ashley Highfield, the BBC’s director of future media and technology, services such as iPlayer and the forthcoming Kangaroo project will soon provide UK viewers with on-demand access to almost any programme ever transmitted.

In his column on the BBC web site, Highfield commented that these sorts if services have so had very little impact on the UK internet infrastructure.

However Dave Tomlinson of PlusNet recorded a 66% increase in streaming traffic in January, and expressed concern about the potential scale of growth when that majority shifts from the PC to the TV.

Current iPlayer usage represents less than 1% of consumption of programmes on the main BBC televison networks.

If demand continues to grow, the BBC will have difficulty in justifying the hosting and distribution infrastructure and associated costs to serve a significant proportion of its programming on demand.