BBC releases children’s iPlayer

Posted on 19 Dec 2008 at 10:47

The BBC has unveiled a children's version of iPlayer, providing exclusive access to CBBC programming while restricting inadvertent access to non-children's programmes.

Designed for children aged six to 12, the service offers the same seven-day catchup as the full, streaming version and was developed after the BBC realised how many people were watching children’s TV through iPlayer. However the interface is quite different. It has been specifically optimised around the fact that children tend to navigate the web in a different way to adults, relying more heavily on visual cues rather than text navigation.

“The iPlayer for CBBC is central to fulfilling our ambitions for CBBC as it enables us to provide programmes for children whenever they want to see them—not just when we choose to schedule them. Children already live in the fully interactive and on demand world and this important launch means CBBC can be there for them,” said Richard Deverell, controller of BBC Children’s.

iPlayer for CBBC is available through the CBBC website or at bbc.co.uk/iplayer/cbbc.

A version for CBeebies viewers is planned for the first half of 2009.

Author: Simon Aughton

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