BBC Global iPlayer Subscription App Will Close on June 26
While the BBC has said for some time that the Global iPlayer would shut down in the near future, it has finally given the date: It will shut down on June 26.
The Global iPlayer was introduced in July 2011. The app offered some ad-supported free content, but got most of its revenues from subscriptions that fell around £5.00 per month. Always considered a pilot project, the Global iPlayer offered around 2,000 hours of BBC and non-BBC content.
While the player was offered in several European countries, Canada, and Australia, it was never released in the United States. Reports said that U.S. cable providers threatened to drop the BBC America channel if the Global iPlayer were available.
Fans have know the end was near since October 2013, when BBC Worldwide first announced that it would discontinue the app. While the BBC made repeated references to the player ending, it didn't offer a firm date until today.
The iPlayer is experiencing trouble at home, as well. In March, the number of program requests to the player fell by seven percent year-over-year. This was the first decline in the player's history, and calls into question the BBC's strategy of making BBC Three an online-only channel and featuring long-form content rather than shorter clips.
Related Articles
Advertisers, beware: Consumers are increasingly willing to pay for streaming video and music services in order to avoid ads.
17 Jan 2018
Online viewers can currently access shows moments after they're broadcast without a license, but that will likely come to an end this summer.
03 Mar 2016
Video views via BBC iPlayer have fallen for the first time. Is this inevitable or does it signify a more profound issue with one of the world's best known online brands?
15 May 2015
iPlayer had a standout year, thanks in part to new features like the ability to download programmes for offline viewing.
24 Jan 2013
Expatriates and others have two subscription offerings for streaming the best of the BBC.
28 Jul 2011
Much has been made of the iPlayer’s shortcomings, but its market penetration within the first three months of its availability indicates that the BBC may indeed have a winner on its hands.
Mon., 7 April, by Jake Ward
07 Apr 2008