A new iPlayer app for the iPhone has been ruled out by the BBC, after images leaked showing what seemed to be a new interface and new features.
The interface shows tabs for live streaming and downloading BBC shows on your iPhone, as well as an option to contact the show you’re watching or listening to. The BBC has denied a new-look iPlayer is imminent, however.
The image was spotted by an eagle-eyed blogger on the front page of the
iPlayer statistics pack, a monthly round-up of iPlayer stats. The image was blogged around the Web, but this morning the BBC’s
Nick Reynolds distanced the corporation from the rumours, saying “the images are old images and should not be taken to mean that anything is likely to happen soon. Since the images seem to have provoked unnecessary speculation we’ll probably update the pack later today and remove them”. Hilariously, according to his Twitter feed, Reynolds is “having a Malcolm Tucker kind of day”.
Speaking of iPlayer statistics, our exclusive look behind the scenes at the iPlayer uncovered showed that use of the player increases as viewers take their iPhones to bed. How romantic.
If you’re not an iPhone owner, we’ve got you covered: here’s our comprehensive test of every device that lets you watch iPlayer. Or if you’ve wrung all you can from your licence fee, here are the other channels’ similar services.