The BBC has launched a dedicated version of the iPlayer for children.
iPlayer Kids has been developed in house with versions available free for iOS, Android phones and tablets, as well as Kindle Fire. It’s launch demonstrates the importance of kids – and their parents – to the catch up TV market.
Sky has already launched a version of Sky Go for kids, reducing the number of ads that are presented to young audience.
iPlayer Kids brings together content from the two kids channels CBeebies and CBBC including Wolfblood, Blue Peter, The Dumping Ground, Topsy & Tim and Go Jetters.
Among the features are the ability to serve only age appropriate content. Pre-school children (under five) are only shown CBeebies content, while children over five are shown both CBBC and CBeebies content (customised to be suitable for their age).
It’s also possible to download content – ahead of a long car journey – and view for 30 days.
Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children’s, said: “Children have always been a priority for the BBC. So launching the BBC iPlayer Kids app is a really exciting moment for us – and we can’t wait to see millions of children get excited about it too. We’re offering choice and control, wrapped up in a child-friendly design and the largest range of home-grown UK content on a platform parents can trust.”
Children’s programmes are the largest single genre on BBC iPlayer. In 2015, they accounted for a third of the 2.9 billion requests for TV programmes.
