Issue 139 | The Hound: Nintendo Maths: iPlayer + Wii =

James Temperton :: Issue 139 :: 10th April 2008
Industry analysis with added bite.

Called the iPlayer it is totally free, easy to use and packed full of great BBC content. Anyone in the UK with broadband can use it and it is already becoming ludicrously popular. With the PC and Flash versions already proving a major success, the BBC is looking to move its iPlayer system onto various other platforms. Their first two targets are the iPhone and the Wii. Surely more will follow, but for the time being, it would seem the Wii has a nice little monopoly to play with.

Apparently both Microsoft and Sony were approached with the iPlayer proposal but an agreement could not be reached as both companies wanted to 'control' the system and have it implemented into their own online shops with a specific look and a specific style. The BBC didn't want this. Nintendo, it would seem, were more than happy to welcome the iPlayer with open arms. All it requires on their part is some clever trickery to get the Wii to support the Flash coding used in the iPlayer, something it can't currently do. Whilst for the time being the iPlayer will only work on the Internet Channel, there is talk of the BBC developing and launching an iPlayer Channel for the Wii. Exciting times.

The man who made the announcement, the wonderfully named Erik Huggers, (the BBC's Group Controller for Future Media and Technology) had this to say at the time:

Our partnership with Nintendo marks another exciting milestone for BBC iPlayer. It underlines our commitment to reaching new audiences by making BBC iPlayer available on as many platforms as possible. The BBC's catch-up TV service can now be accessed on an increasing number of different platforms