BBC To Launch ‘iPlayer For Children’ Tablet App In 2016

The BBC is set to release a dedicated version of its iPlayer app designed for children in 2016.

BBC iPlayer for Children will come in the form of a tablet app for iPad and Android devices and will make it easier for youngsters to find kid-friendly content from CBBC and CBeebies, while blocking material that’s not suitable for young eyes.

Director of BBC Children Alice Webb explained:

“It will be their very own BBC iPlayer app making it easy and fun for children to find their favourite CBBC and CBeebies shows and discover new BBC programmes in a safe environment that’s designed just for them.

“Parents can also be confident that the app only contains content suitable for children. So, whether it’s in the back of the car on a long journey with a tablet or on the bus to school on a mobile, kids will be able to watch their favourite shows wherever they are, whenever they want to.

“And given how much children love BBC iPlayer, I can only imagine how popular their version will be!”.

The BBC revealed that in the first sixth months of 2015, the company saw a staggering 500 million downloads of children’s content in iPlayer - almost double the amount in the same period of the previous year.

According to stats from the BBC, more than 50% of children use smartphones or tablets, with kids watching an average of 5.5 hours of media each day.

The new iPlayer app is separate to the previously announced iPlay (a working title) - an on-demand service for children, which will include programming along with educational and creative tools.

Image credit: WestEnd61/REX Shutterstock