The BBC iPlayer will be reinvented in a bid to be the “number one online TV service” in the UK by 2020, the broadcaster’s director general Lord Hall has said.
Speaking to his staff, Tony Hall announced the plans as the BBC enters its new charter period. He said he wanted to “reinvent public broadcasting for a new generation” and “iPlayer was the biggest revolution of the last charter, now we need it to make the leap from a catch-up service to a must-visit destination in its own right.”
Changes will include allowing whole series to be downloaded before they are shown on television, viewers will be able to binge watch these “box sets”, feature which Netflix and Amazon already offer.
Lord Hall said the BBC must pioneer new technology if it is to remain a global leader and develop new ways of personalising services for viewers as well as how it can embrace developments in artificial intelligence and voice recognition.
Recent figures revealed 2016 was the biggest year yet for the iPlayer, which received 243 million monthly requests on average.
