BBC iPlayer TV streams bandwidth hit 1.76 billion MB per month in May

4th September 2008

 

The following graph shows the amount of bandwidth the BBC has been using for the iPlayer TV streams since they were launched in December 2007, as well as the bandwidth the BBC has been using for the Internet radio streams (live and on-demand streams combined):

 

 

Data for the above graph was obtained from the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act

 

The BBC iPlayer TV streams overtook the Internet radio streams in terms of the amount of bandwidth they were using within the first month of the iPlayer being launched, and at its peak in May, the BBC iPlayer TV streams were consuming a bandwidth of 1,756 TB/month (or 1.756 billion MB per month), which is over 4 times as much bandwidth as the radio streams are using.

The BBC has also recently launched higher quality iPlayer TV streams, which are using a bit rate of 800 kbps, as opposed to the normal quality iPlayer TV streams that are using 500 kbps. So the bandwidth used for the iPlayer TV streams is likely to shoot up again from August due to the new streams launching. The dip in bandwidth for the iPlayer TV streams in June and July will also very likely be due to people going on holiday, so the rapid growth in usage of the iPlayer TV streams is likely to continue from September onwards  — although the rate of growth is unlikely to be as spectacular as it has been in the first half of this year.

 


 

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