BBC content available for download from iTunes

The BBC has become the first UK broadcaster to offer programs via Apple’s download service.

The move follows the success of the stations iPlayer, which was launched at the end of 2007.

We all remember the astonishing numbers associated with the iPlayer over the seasonal period. Yes, over Christmas (and on Christmas day in particular) we were quite the busy little bees when it came to streaming or downloading shows from the BBC iPlayer. During the festive fun, over 1 million users watched more than 3.5 million shows.

BBC shows including Life on Mars, Little Britain, Torchwood and Spooks are among the other shows that can now be purchased for £1.89 an episode from iTunes.

It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. Given the fact that BBC fans can enjoy programs for free on the iPlayer some people wonder whether they’ll be willing to pay for the same content on iTunes. Added to the fact that recently aired content isn’t available on iTunes until after it’s been made available (for free) on iPlayer, BBC content on iTunes could be a huge flop. Oh well, we’ll see.