AfterDawn: News

iPlayer comes to the Wii

The BBC has announced that its popular iPlayer will be coming to the Nintendo Wii console soon marking the second time in recent weeks that the BBC has made partnerships for its service.

For those unaware, the iPlayer offers content from many of the BBC's TV shows and radio stations.



"Working with Nintendo marks another exciting milestone for BBC iPlayer," commented Erik Huggers, group controller for Future Media and Technology at the BBC.

"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 - from the web and portable devices to gaming consoles. It will shortly be available on TV."

The one hitch is that current Wii owners need to pay a fee to have the Internet Channel but the BBC noted that it is looking into way to making the iPlayer service completely free in the future.

"This exciting alliance with the BBC is yet another way in which Nintendo is looking to broaden the market for its products by offering compelling and relevant content to families," added David Yarnton, general manager of Nintendo UK.

"BBC iPlayer on Wii will offer Wii owners another reason to turn their console on everyday and adds to the already established non gaming content on Wii that includes news and weather channels and an internet browser."



Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 9 Apr 2008 12:55

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• 9 comments

• DSWarrior

  Now this is a good idea...let's just hope they find a good way to make it work...for free...as they claim it'll be...Anyways, I hope they find a good way to make it happen.

  9.4.2008 14:41 #1

• PantherM

  Sounds like Sony's PlayTV for the PS3.
  
  Video game consoles are really trying to work their way into everyday life.

  9.4.2008 15:25 #2

• susieqbbb

  cool but this doesn't help anyone.
  
  iplayer would be cool if it was a wii channel not a internet channel required service i hate the internet channel everytime you update the internet channel update doesn't copy over the old version of the internet channel making the internet channel on the wii take up even more memory.
  
  which sucks.
  
  I dont want to have to waste 244 blocks twice one for the internet channel one for the update to keep my wii internet channel this is insane.

  9.4.2008 18:40 #3

• wrules

  why not for ps3?

  10.4.2008 15:41 #4

• locobrown

  Making the service free in the future? Why not now? In the UK you need to have an operating license and depending on how many tvs you have that's the premium you pay. It wouldn't surprise me if anybody needed an operating license for the Wii as well, once this service kicks off. Nobody gives anything away for free, unless its freeware open source software. Yeah, right.

  10.4.2008 16:29 #5

• 7thsinger

  We'll just have to see how far in the future it takes before this service is actually free.

  11.4.2008 13:16 #6

• goodswipe

  Err, not interested unless it's free...

  11.4.2008 13:30 #7

• juniR

  susieqbbb if you dislike the internet channel so much then really - just delete it - all you lose is £3.50 or $7 or 5 euros you effectively payed for it and you never get wound up by it again. I personally think it's a small price to pay to get rid of so much angst. ;)
  
  Originally posted by wrules: why not for ps3?http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/04/wii.html
  
  It is available if you have the internet as most will know - watch it on your PC now - that alone is a good option. If you have a Wii and the internet channel already then it also becomes available there and I've just been watching it on my TV. It's not as good as regular TV quality but, just like youtube on the Wii, it's an extra facilty.
  
  I hate the fact that we have to buy a license to watch TV in this country but I'm not stupid. If the BBC are getting my money then I want as much as I can get back from them and as far as media services are concerned they are ground breakers, especially online.
  
  So whilst it's not truly free because I am funding it thru my license fee, I have another source for on demand video when I'm layed on my sofa. I'm paying no more to have it than not have it so I ain't cutting my nose off ;)
  
  Don't want it? - Don't wanna pay the one off pittance for the Wii internet channel? Need all your blocks and don't wanna fork out for an SD card so you can have extra storage? Then just don't have it. It's an easy decision. No doubt they'll come up with new unexpected extras in the future - and the more choice the better I say!
  
  Hats off to Nintendo for setting it up with the beeb - The Wii might not be the most powerful console but they have done well to add this facility to it's repertoire!
  

  Wii 3.2E w/ Wiikey 1.9s :: PSP 3.90 M33-3 :: NDS w/ R4DS :: Nokia N95

  11.4.2008 21:19 #8

• wrules

  you can actually vist bbc iplayer on the ps3 but it isn't official, go to ps3iplayer.com in the ps3's internet browser. I have used it and seems alright, some people however claim that it doesn't work.
  

  Will

  19.4.2008 04:59 #9