BBC releases Mac iPlayer

The BBC today began official Mac support for iPlayer, the network's video distribution technology. The service allows residents of the UK to watch the last seven days of BBC TV programming for free; until today however, it was only available to Windows users, a situation which earlier triggered a petition claiming it was a violation of BBC policy. The ability to download shows remains restricted to Windows users, but Mac users can now stream video on their computers, as a result of a recent deal with Adobe for use of Flash.

The streaming service remains in beta, but should enter full release for Mac and Linux computers on December 25th. Show downloads for the same formats are expected sometime in 2008, and the pre-existing BBC Radio Player is eventually expected to be integrated into iPlayer. The BBC originally developed iPlayer as a consequence of its mandate, which involves ensuring broadcast access to everyone paying the TV license fee.

by MacNN Staff