I have just seen this news that the BBC iPlayer has now shown 75 million programmes since its launch and that their users have grown by 27% in the last month. Is it really surprising that a watch on demand system has become hugely popular? Not really. Especially with more people having access to faster internet , streaming television shows has become ever more popular. I even know people that don’t own TVs now. There are few programmes that you cannot (legally) download from the internet and who wants to be tied to coming home at a set time to watch a programme that you can watch whenever you want on the web?
Meanwhile, Ryan Hopkins at Mashable has recently been gloating about the decreasing figures of television audiences against the increasing statistics of internet use. Again, surely this is not surprising, if you have the choice of viewing a television programme at 6pm whilst your friend is hosting BBQ, or at 9pm on the internet when you are bored, there will be no contest.
It is however, great to see content being shared so freely on the internet resulting in more consumer choice. I know that with iplayer, digital radio and the extensive websites that the BBC now offers, my TV licence fee is worth it ““ even if I don’t watch TV!
