It was recently announced that the had decided to .
And it’s safe to say, TV viewers were not at all happy.
As it stands, people are able to access the broadcaster’s catalogues of TV shows and films on iPlayer, whether they access it on smart TVs, on laptops or desktop computers, on smart tablets or on , including iPhones and Androids.
The streaming platform allows members of the public to download programmes so that they can watch them when they’re offline without WiFi.
However, soon viewers won’t be able to download anything if they’re using the iPlayer Downloads app on laptops or desktop computers.
In a statement, the BBC said that the changes were made ‘due to the low number of people using it and the cost required to keep it going’.
The spokesperson continued: ‘This does not affect downloads on the BBC iPlayer mobile or tablet apps and viewers can continue to stream programmes on BBC iPlayer on their PCs and Macs.’
So when is the change going to come into effect? Here’s what you need to know.
When is BBC iPlayer closing down its Downloads app for laptops and desktop computers?
When the announcement of the change to BBC iPlayer was made, the broadcaster released a timeline of how it would be scaled back.
These pivotal dates included:
- February 2 – new downloads of the BBC iPlayer Downloads app would end
- March 11 – downloading programmes from the web would end. Users would still be able to watch any existing downloads until April 8
- April 8 – the BBC iPlayer Downloads app will be closed
So, from Monday April 8, people watching BBC iPlayer on their laptops or desktop computers won’t be able to download programmes to watch offline.
Nonetheless, people will still be able to download films and TV shows on the mobile app.
When one tries to find out how to download the BBC iPlayer Downloads app on a PC or a Mac, they might find the following message on the broadcaster’s website.
‘It is no longer possible to install the BBC iPlayer Downloads application as it is being decommissioned and will close on Monday 8 April 2024,’ it reads.
On the Apple App store, it also states: ‘This app is available only on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.’
It’s safe to say that people were extremely disappointed by the news of iPlayer shutting down its desktop Downloads app.
‘Oh that’s a shame. BBC iplayer are stopping laptop downloads. I liked getting shows for train journeys,’ Dr Jamie Gallagher tweeted in response to the news.
‘No but fr bbc iplayer downloads has been my lifeline bc my internet is super unreliable, I don’t have a tablet and my phone screen is tiny, I don’t wanna watch Sherlock on that 😭😭😭,’ added an X user called Jo.
