Doctor Who tops BBC iPlayer views

The Times, January 15, 2008

More viewers are watching programmes on demand
Adam Sherwin
British viewers are abandoning the television schedules, creating a boom for
programmes downloaded on demand, a survey has found.

More than a third are now watching programmes on demand regularly through
web media players, twice as many as last year, according to the annual
Tiscali TV Trends report. More than 3.5 million programmes have been
streamed or downloaded on demand via the BBC iPlayer since Christmas Day.
The most frequently streamed programmes were the Doctor Who Christmas
special, the Extras Christmas special and Top Gear.

The report found that 64 per cent of viewers believe the schedules restrict
their viewing too much. A lack of choice and technical innovations in the
more flexible provision of television are prompting viewers to turn off
traditional channels and networks.

Although many new web TV services have been started (BBC iPlayer, ITV.com,
4oD and Joost) viewers still prefer to watch on-demand programmes on their
television sets. The survey found that 62 per cent of those viewing
on-demand content are doing so on their television, while the remaining 38
per cent are watching on a PC. The preference is similar when it comes to
downloading films.

(Yer, well if they are doing that then they must be downloading torrents and
burning them onto DVD since the content provided directly by the
broadcasters is copy protected.)


Doctor Who tops BBC iPlayer views
Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:37am GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - The Christmas special episode of Doctor Who was the most
viewed programme on the BBC's iPlayer Web site in the first two weeks after
its official launch on December 25, the publicly funded broadcaster said on
Tuesday.

The Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras was the second most
popular, while the December 23 edition of motor show Top Gear came third.

The BBC said more than 3.5 million programmes had been streamed or
downloaded in the fortnight after Christmas Day, with more than one million
people visiting the iPlayer site.

Director of BBC Future Media and Technology Ashley Highfield said the
viewing figures were wonderful start for the iPlayer.

"Typically, people who use the BBC iPlayer are spending nearly half an hour
a day watching streams of their favourite programmes, suggesting that it
looks set to revolutionise the way BBC Television programmes are viewed in
the UK."

With more and more viewers turning to the Internet, the BBC and other
broadcasters are under pressure to put their content online.

The BBC formally launched the iPlayer at Christmas, after a lengthy
development which included a "beta" pilot from July 2007.

Users can choose to stream or download a choice of 250 BBC programmes from
the previous seven days.

The top 10 streamed programmes on BBC iPlayer between December 25 and Jan 7
were as follows (transmission dates in brackets):

1. Doctor Who Christmas Special (25/12/07)

2. Extras Christmas Special (27/12/07)

3. Top Gear (23/12/07)

4. The Catherine Tate Christmas Show (25/12/07)

5. EastEnders (25/12/07)

6. EastEnders (01/01/08)

7. Sense and Sensibility (01/01/08)

8. Robin Hood (29/12/08)

9. EastEnders (31/12/07)

10. The Best of Top Gear (01/01/08)

(Reporting by Tim Castle)

Why do you want to know

--
Socrates taught his students that the pursuit of truth can only begin once
they start to question and analyze every belief that they ever held dear. If
a certain belief passes the tests of evidence, deduction, and logic, it
should be kept. If it doesn't, the belief should not only be discarded, but
the thinker must also then question why he was led to believe the erroneous


"The Doctor" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Robert Wilson wrote:
The Doctor wrote:
In article ,
Brian Gaff wrote:
Seems to me that a lot of people would welcome the return of vhs video
machines with timer recording. The dvd equivalents seem over complex
to many
people I talk to, and also the restrictive copy protection can thwart
many
who just want to grab a stream to watch when their broadband is
traffic
limited due to congestion.

I'm sure that all copy protection will be circumvented at some point
so one
wonders why anyone bothers any more.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:


_________________________________________________ __________________________
___________________________________


"Agamemnon" wrote in message
. uk...
The Times, January 15, 2008

More viewers are watching programmes on demand
Adam Sherwin
British viewers are abandoning the television schedules, creating a
boom
for programmes downloaded on demand, a survey has found.

More than a third are now watching programmes on demand regularly
through
web media players, twice as many as last year, according to the
annual
Tiscali TV Trends report. More than 3.5 million programmes have been
streamed or downloaded on demand via the BBC iPlayer since Christmas
Day.
The most frequently streamed programmes were the Doctor Who Christmas
special, the Extras Christmas special and Top Gear.

The report found that 64 per cent of viewers believe the schedules
restrict their viewing too much. A lack of choice and technical
innovations in the more flexible provision of television are
prompting
viewers to turn off traditional channels and networks.

Although many new web TV services have been started (BBC iPlayer,
ITV.com,
4oD and Joost) viewers still prefer to watch on-demand programmes on
their
television sets. The survey found that 62 per cent of those viewing
on-demand content are doing so on their television, while the
remaining 38
per cent are watching on a PC. The preference is similar when it
comes to
downloading films.

(Yer, well if they are doing that then they must be downloading
torrents
and burning them onto DVD since the content provided directly by the
broadcasters is copy protected.)


Doctor Who tops BBC iPlayer views
Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:37am GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - The Christmas special episode of Doctor Who was
the
most viewed programme on the BBC's iPlayer Web site in the first two
weeks
after its official launch on December 25, the publicly funded
broadcaster
said on Tuesday.

The Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras was the
second
most popular, while the December 23 edition of motor show Top Gear
came
third.

The BBC said more than 3.5 million programmes had been streamed or
downloaded in the fortnight after Christmas Day, with more than one
million people visiting the iPlayer site.

Director of BBC Future Media and Technology Ashley Highfield said the
viewing figures were wonderful start for the iPlayer.

"Typically, people who use the BBC iPlayer are spending nearly half
an
hour a day watching streams of their favourite programmes, suggesting
that
it looks set to revolutionise the way BBC Television programmes are
viewed
in the UK."

With more and more viewers turning to the Internet, the BBC and other
broadcasters are under pressure to put their content online.

The BBC formally launched the iPlayer at Christmas, after a lengthy
development which included a "beta" pilot from July 2007.

Users can choose to stream or download a choice of 250 BBC programmes
from
the previous seven days.

The top 10 streamed programmes on BBC iPlayer between December 25 and
Jan
7 were as follows (transmission dates in brackets):

1. Doctor Who Christmas Special (25/12/07)

2. Extras Christmas Special (27/12/07)

3. Top Gear (23/12/07)

4. The Catherine Tate Christmas Show (25/12/07)

5. EastEnders (25/12/07)

6. EastEnders (01/01/08)

7. Sense and Sensibility (01/01/08)

8. Robin Hood (29/12/08)

9. EastEnders (31/12/07)

10. The Best of Top Gear (01/01/08)

(Reporting by Tim Castle)




Looks to me BBC should have never pulled DW in the 1990s.
It was 1989.

When was Season 26 aired?
--
Member - Liberal International
This is Ici
God, Queen and country! Beware Anti-Christ rising!
Born 29 Jan 1969 Redhill Surrey England

Seems to me that a lot of people would welcome the return of vhs video
machines with timer recording. The dvd equivalents seem over complex to many
people I talk to, and also the restrictive copy protection can thwart many
who just want to grab a stream to watch when their broadband is traffic
limited due to congestion.

I'm sure that all copy protection will be circumvented at some point so one
wonders why anyone bothers any more.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________


"Agamemnon" wrote in message
. uk...
The Times, January 15, 2008

More viewers are watching programmes on demand
Adam Sherwin
British viewers are abandoning the television schedules, creating a boom
for programmes downloaded on demand, a survey has found.

More than a third are now watching programmes on demand regularly through
web media players, twice as many as last year, according to the annual
Tiscali TV Trends report. More than 3.5 million programmes have been
streamed or downloaded on demand via the BBC iPlayer since Christmas Day.
The most frequently streamed programmes were the Doctor Who Christmas
special, the Extras Christmas special and Top Gear.

The report found that 64 per cent of viewers believe the schedules
restrict their viewing too much. A lack of choice and technical
innovations in the more flexible provision of television are prompting
viewers to turn off traditional channels and networks.

Although many new web TV services have been started (BBC iPlayer, ITV.com,
4oD and Joost) viewers still prefer to watch on-demand programmes on their
television sets. The survey found that 62 per cent of those viewing
on-demand content are doing so on their television, while the remaining 38
per cent are watching on a PC. The preference is similar when it comes to
downloading films.

(Yer, well if they are doing that then they must be downloading torrents
and burning them onto DVD since the content provided directly by the
broadcasters is copy protected.)


Doctor Who tops BBC iPlayer views
Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:37am GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - The Christmas special episode of Doctor Who was the
most viewed programme on the BBC's iPlayer Web site in the first two weeks
after its official launch on December 25, the publicly funded broadcaster
said on Tuesday.

The Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras was the second
most popular, while the December 23 edition of motor show Top Gear came
third.

The BBC said more than 3.5 million programmes had been streamed or
downloaded in the fortnight after Christmas Day, with more than one
million people visiting the iPlayer site.

Director of BBC Future Media and Technology Ashley Highfield said the
viewing figures were wonderful start for the iPlayer.

"Typically, people who use the BBC iPlayer are spending nearly half an
hour a day watching streams of their favourite programmes, suggesting that
it looks set to revolutionise the way BBC Television programmes are viewed
in the UK."

With more and more viewers turning to the Internet, the BBC and other
broadcasters are under pressure to put their content online.

The BBC formally launched the iPlayer at Christmas, after a lengthy
development which included a "beta" pilot from July 2007.

Users can choose to stream or download a choice of 250 BBC programmes from
the previous seven days.

The top 10 streamed programmes on BBC iPlayer between December 25 and Jan
7 were as follows (transmission dates in brackets):

1. Doctor Who Christmas Special (25/12/07)

2. Extras Christmas Special (27/12/07)

3. Top Gear (23/12/07)

4. The Catherine Tate Christmas Show (25/12/07)

5. EastEnders (25/12/07)

6. EastEnders (01/01/08)

7. Sense and Sensibility (01/01/08)

8. Robin Hood (29/12/08)

9. EastEnders (31/12/07)

10. The Best of Top Gear (01/01/08)

(Reporting by Tim Castle)

"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
.uk...
Seems to me that a lot of people would welcome the return of vhs video
machines with timer recording. The dvd equivalents seem over complex to
many people I talk to,

Virtually everyone I know has a set top digital box, I don`t know anyone
that uses a DVD recorder. They`re the easiest things in the world to use,
you highlight the programme you want to record and press a button!

In article , Agamemnon
scribeth thus
The Times, January 15, 2008

More viewers are watching programmes on demand
Adam Sherwin

Who is he?, where was this research done?, and who commissioned it?..

--
Tony Sayer

Surely on-demand won't be a sensible proposition until there is a simple
way of delivering it to the TV, not the computer screen. The
copy-protection systems employed by BBCi etc mean that you don't even
have the option of downloading, burning to a DVD and then watching from
the sofa rather than the office chair. Even that's clumsy and beyond a
high percentage of the population.

Adrian

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
Surely on-demand won't be a sensible proposition until there is a simple
way of delivering it to the TV, not the computer screen. The
copy-protection systems employed by BBCi etc mean that you don't even have
the option of downloading, burning to a DVD and then watching from the
sofa rather than the office chair. Even that's clumsy and beyond a high
percentage of the population.

Aren`t there some sort of boxes you can buy that transfer video from your
computer to your TV? I`m pretty sure the Xbox 360 can do that and they`ve
sold well. New technology always takes a while to get going.

That said, I`m convinced the digital TV providers give you the option to
watch programmes from the past week at anytime anyway.

Said the guy running an ISP WITH 33K MODEMS lol

--
Socrates taught his students that the pursuit of truth can only begin once
they start to question and analyze every belief that they ever held dear. If
a certain belief passes the tests of evidence, deduction, and logic, it
should be kept. If it doesn't, the belief should not only be discarded, but
the thinker must also then question why he was led to believe the erroneous


"The Doctor" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Brian Gaff wrote:
Seems to me that a lot of people would welcome the return of vhs video
machines with timer recording. The dvd equivalents seem over complex to
many
people I talk to, and also the restrictive copy protection can thwart
many
who just want to grab a stream to watch when their broadband is traffic
limited due to congestion.

I'm sure that all copy protection will be circumvented at some point so
one
wonders why anyone bothers any more.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:

_________________________________________________ __________________________
___________________________________


"Agamemnon" wrote in message
.uk...
The Times, January 15, 2008

More viewers are watching programmes on demand
Adam Sherwin
British viewers are abandoning the television schedules, creating a
boom
for programmes downloaded on demand, a survey has found.

More than a third are now watching programmes on demand regularly
through
web media players, twice as many as last year, according to the annual
Tiscali TV Trends report. More than 3.5 million programmes have been
streamed or downloaded on demand via the BBC iPlayer since Christmas
Day.
The most frequently streamed programmes were the Doctor Who Christmas
special, the Extras Christmas special and Top Gear.

The report found that 64 per cent of viewers believe the schedules
restrict their viewing too much. A lack of choice and technical
innovations in the more flexible provision of television are prompting
viewers to turn off traditional channels and networks.

Although many new web TV services have been started (BBC iPlayer,
ITV.com,
4oD and Joost) viewers still prefer to watch on-demand programmes on
their
television sets. The survey found that 62 per cent of those viewing
on-demand content are doing so on their television, while the remaining
38
per cent are watching on a PC. The preference is similar when it comes
to
downloading films.

(Yer, well if they are doing that then they must be downloading
torrents
and burning them onto DVD since the content provided directly by the
broadcasters is copy protected.)


Doctor Who tops BBC iPlayer views
Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:37am GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - The Christmas special episode of Doctor Who was the
most viewed programme on the BBC's iPlayer Web site in the first two
weeks
after its official launch on December 25, the publicly funded
broadcaster
said on Tuesday.

The Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras was the second
most popular, while the December 23 edition of motor show Top Gear came
third.

The BBC said more than 3.5 million programmes had been streamed or
downloaded in the fortnight after Christmas Day, with more than one
million people visiting the iPlayer site.

Director of BBC Future Media and Technology Ashley Highfield said the
viewing figures were wonderful start for the iPlayer.

"Typically, people who use the BBC iPlayer are spending nearly half an
hour a day watching streams of their favourite programmes, suggesting
that
it looks set to revolutionise the way BBC Television programmes are
viewed
in the UK."

With more and more viewers turning to the Internet, the BBC and other
broadcasters are under pressure to put their content online.

The BBC formally launched the iPlayer at Christmas, after a lengthy
development which included a "beta" pilot from July 2007.

Users can choose to stream or download a choice of 250 BBC programmes
from
the previous seven days.

The top 10 streamed programmes on BBC iPlayer between December 25 and
Jan
7 were as follows (transmission dates in brackets):

1. Doctor Who Christmas Special (25/12/07)

2. Extras Christmas Special (27/12/07)

3. Top Gear (23/12/07)

4. The Catherine Tate Christmas Show (25/12/07)

5. EastEnders (25/12/07)

6. EastEnders (01/01/08)

7. Sense and Sensibility (01/01/08)

8. Robin Hood (29/12/08)

9. EastEnders (31/12/07)

10. The Best of Top Gear (01/01/08)

(Reporting by Tim Castle)





Looks to me BBC should have never pulled DW in the 1990s.
--
Member - Liberal International
This is Ici
God, Queen and country! Beware Anti-Christ rising!
Born 29 Jan 1969 Redhill Surrey England

In article ,
Brian Gaff wrote:
Seems to me that a lot of people would welcome the return of vhs video
machines with timer recording. The dvd equivalents seem over complex to many
people I talk to, and also the restrictive copy protection can thwart many
who just want to grab a stream to watch when their broadband is traffic
limited due to congestion.

I'm sure that all copy protection will be circumvented at some point so one
wonders why anyone bothers any more.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
_________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________


"Agamemnon" wrote in message
.uk...
The Times, January 15, 2008

More viewers are watching programmes on demand
Adam Sherwin
British viewers are abandoning the television schedules, creating a boom
for programmes downloaded on demand, a survey has found.

More than a third are now watching programmes on demand regularly through
web media players, twice as many as last year, according to the annual
Tiscali TV Trends report. More than 3.5 million programmes have been
streamed or downloaded on demand via the BBC iPlayer since Christmas Day.
The most frequently streamed programmes were the Doctor Who Christmas
special, the Extras Christmas special and Top Gear.

The report found that 64 per cent of viewers believe the schedules
restrict their viewing too much. A lack of choice and technical
innovations in the more flexible provision of television are prompting
viewers to turn off traditional channels and networks.

Although many new web TV services have been started (BBC iPlayer, ITV.com,
4oD and Joost) viewers still prefer to watch on-demand programmes on their
television sets. The survey found that 62 per cent of those viewing
on-demand content are doing so on their television, while the remaining 38
per cent are watching on a PC. The preference is similar when it comes to
downloading films.

(Yer, well if they are doing that then they must be downloading torrents
and burning them onto DVD since the content provided directly by the
broadcasters is copy protected.)


Doctor Who tops BBC iPlayer views
Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:37am GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - The Christmas special episode of Doctor Who was the
most viewed programme on the BBC's iPlayer Web site in the first two weeks
after its official launch on December 25, the publicly funded broadcaster
said on Tuesday.

The Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras was the second
most popular, while the December 23 edition of motor show Top Gear came
third.

The BBC said more than 3.5 million programmes had been streamed or
downloaded in the fortnight after Christmas Day, with more than one
million people visiting the iPlayer site.

Director of BBC Future Media and Technology Ashley Highfield said the
viewing figures were wonderful start for the iPlayer.

"Typically, people who use the BBC iPlayer are spending nearly half an
hour a day watching streams of their favourite programmes, suggesting that
it looks set to revolutionise the way BBC Television programmes are viewed
in the UK."

With more and more viewers turning to the Internet, the BBC and other
broadcasters are under pressure to put their content online.

The BBC formally launched the iPlayer at Christmas, after a lengthy
development which included a "beta" pilot from July 2007.

Users can choose to stream or download a choice of 250 BBC programmes from
the previous seven days.

The top 10 streamed programmes on BBC iPlayer between December 25 and Jan
7 were as follows (transmission dates in brackets):

1. Doctor Who Christmas Special (25/12/07)

2. Extras Christmas Special (27/12/07)

3. Top Gear (23/12/07)

4. The Catherine Tate Christmas Show (25/12/07)

5. EastEnders (25/12/07)

6. EastEnders (01/01/08)

7. Sense and Sensibility (01/01/08)

8. Robin Hood (29/12/08)

9. EastEnders (31/12/07)

10. The Best of Top Gear (01/01/08)

(Reporting by Tim Castle)





Looks to me BBC should have never pulled DW in the 1990s.
--
Member - Liberal International
This is Ici
God, Queen and country! Beware Anti-Christ rising!
Born 29 Jan 1969 Redhill Surrey England

In article ,
Adrian wrote:
Surely on-demand won't be a sensible proposition until there is a simple
way of delivering it to the TV, not the computer screen. The
copy-protection systems employed by BBCi etc mean that you don't even
have the option of downloading, burning to a DVD and then watching from
the sofa rather than the office chair. Even that's clumsy and beyond a
high percentage of the population.

Adrian

This is precisely Apple's sales proposition with Apple TV 2.0,
announced yesterday; it connects to a television, and has wireless
internet capability. It pulls video from the net (primarily, but
not exclusively, from iTunes Music Store), without requiring a
separate computer. We will see how well it sells here in the US;
and it will be interesting to see if Apple can cut a deal with BBC
to let a UK version pull things from their iPlayer sources.

[note to BBC. I'm in the U.S., and would be _happy_ to pay
some kind of license fee entitling me to legally access BBC
programmes for download, rather than torrenting them for free]