BBC iPlayer to be available via iPad and iPhone

BBC’s iPlayer will be launched as an application for the Apple App Store in less than a month.

The BBC iPlayer is the media streaming service featuring programmes and radio from the BBC's channels, also available on the PS3, Wii, the Internet and some mobile services.

The app was approved by the BBC six months ago, and the projected launch will coincide with the departure of the BBC Future Media and Technology Director Erik Huggers. Huggers will be moving to a job at hardware manufacturer Intel.

There are not many solid details on the app currently, and it is not known whether the content will be available worldwide or in the UK exclusively. The iPad tablet will benefit from the service with its reliable 3G connections and large screen size.

The iPlayer has grown exponentially in popularity. The BBC also received 145 million requests for television and radio programmes to be repeated over the 2010 Christmas period.

The service has also been released in mobile-compatible versions for Google's Android operating system, as well as for the web-enabled Nokia N96 phone, and on Blackberry devices as of November 2010.

In 2009, the BBC used iPlayer in a famous practical joke on April Fool's Day. They released a press statement on their website claiming that a new toaster was being released that would feature the streaming service, and allow customers to view “breakfast television”.