The BBC has launched a new dedicated iPlayer platform for all its radio content, which will give a higher profile to the stations and focus on live streaming.

From today (October 8), BBC iPlayer Radio becomes the new home to live and on-demand consumption of stations such as Radio 2, Radio 5 Live and 6 Music on PCs, Macs and mobile browsers.

Under a phased programme, the corporation is migrating all radio content to the new platform with the aim of eventually having two separate iPlayers - BBC iPlayer for TV and video, and BBC iPlayer Radio purely for radio.

In addition, the BBC has created a brand new app for BBC iPlayer Radio that launches today on Apple's iPhone, but will expand to Android in the future.

Previously, the 5-year-old BBC iPlayer platform was used for both TV and radio, but the corporation noted differing behaviours across the two mediums.

Daniel Danker, the boss of iPlayer, said at a launch event in London today that 80% of TV requests were for on-demand programmes, while just 20% were for streams of content as it is shown live.

By contrast, 90% of radio consumption on iPlayer is live requests, and only 10% on-demand.
Danker said that the new BBC iPlayer Radio service is about focusing on the core values of "listen, watch, share and engage" across radio content.

The platform, which launches as the BBC prepares to celebrate 90 years of its radio networks, has been designed to bring together the existing station websites for the likes of Radio 2 and Radio 4 with the iPlayer interface.

From today, anyone clicking on radio on iPlayer will be redirected to the new service, which features tabs for all the BBC stations, showcasing what is on now and next in large picture icons.

Following three months of beta testing, the BBC has created tailored pages for each station prioritising their needs. For example, the Radio 4 page highlights more comedy, drama and factual programming on-demand, as its listeners are bigger consumers of the content.

BBC iPlayer Radio also has a Categories section giving full access to the entire on-demand archive; a full schedule of what is on now and next across all BBC channels; and a Favourites tab enabling users to store their preferred content.

Alongside desktops, the website is built with 'responsive' technology which optimises the content for different platforms, such as laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Over time, all radio content will be migrated to the new iPlayer Radio, meaning the main iPlayer platform will be used just for TV and video.

The BBC has also created a brand new app for BBC iPlayer Radio, launching first on iPhone (with options to enlarge for the iPad).

The app has a carousel design that features a large 'dial' of circular icons representing each BBC station. Pressing on any of these leads straight into the station for live streaming over WiFi or 3G, or access to on-demand.

The radio app continues playing in the background while the user does other things. Alongside audio, there is a range of video content, such as a clip of One Direction performing at the Teen Awards.

source: digitalspy.co.uk/tech/news/a417972/bbc-launches-dedicated-iplayer-for-radio.html