BBC iPlayer Requests Climb to 356m in January 2019

Idris Elba’s return as DCI John Luther has helped BBC iPlayer to a dramatic start to the year for BBC iPlayer. The detective’s first episode back on the beat was the best performing programme on BBC iPlayer in January, with 3.7 million requests, and 11 million requests for the four episodes of the latest series in total.

Drama dominated the first month of the year, with every episode of top twenty iPlayer programmes of the month being a drama. The return of Silent Witness performed very well, with over 2.1 million requests for the first episode of the new series.

New Andrew Davies adaptation Les Misérables also performed well, with over 1.4 million requests for the drama’s first episode. Other strong performers included EastEnders, Call the Midwife’s eighth series and Doctor Who’s New Year’s Day special. The FA Cup’s fourth round clash between Manchester United and Arsenal also performed well, with almost 1 million requests for the match.

The dramas helped BBC iPlayer to achieve 356 million requests across the month, and an average of 11.5 million requests per day.

The top 10 episodes on BBC iPlayer in January are:

Rank	Programme	Episode	Requests
1	Luther	Series 5 – episode 1	3,710,000
2	Luther	Series 5 – episode 2	2,590,000
3	Luther	Series 5 – episode 3	2,443,000
4	Luther	Series 5 – episode 4	2,331,000
5	Silent Witness	Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 1	2,184,000
6	EastEnders	01/01/2019	1,575,000
7	Silent Witness	Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 2	1,503,000
8	Les Misérables	Series 1 – episode 1	1,489,000
9	EastEnders	04/01/2019	1,409,000
10	EastEnders	03/01/2019 – part 2	1,284,000

The top 10 episodes per series on BBC iPlayer in January are:

Rank	Programme	Episode	Requests
1	Luther	Series 5 – episode 1	3,710,000
2	Silent Witness	Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 1	2,184,000
3	EastEnders	01/01/2019	1,575,000
4	Les Misérables	Series 1 – episode 1	1,489,000
5	Call the Midwife	Series 8 – episode 1	1,257,000
6	Doctor Who	Resolution	1,059,000
7	The FA Cup	2018/19 – Fourth Round: Arsenal v Man Utd	976,000
8	Death in Paradise	Series 8 – episode 1	945,000
9	Luther	Series 1 – episode 1	943,000
10	Match of the Day	2018/19 – 19/01/2019	940,000

Dan McGolpin, controller of programming for the BBC, said: “It’s been a very good start to 2019 on BBC iPlayer with new drama in particular drawing large audiences in January. Viewers were delighted to see the return of Luther, Silent Witness and Call the Midwife and thrilled to see Andrew Davies’ brand new adaptation of Les Misérables. In terms of live programmes the FA Cup has already seen a number of high profile matches with the quarter-finals coming soon. There’s plenty more to look forward to on BBC iPlayer throughout the rest of the year.”

About the author : Kauser Kanji

I've been working in online video since 2005 and have held senior roles at NBC Universal, ITN and Virgin Media. I've also completed VOD projects for the BBC, Netflix, Sony Pictures and a host of broadcasters and service-providers all over the world. Catch me on our weekly debate show, OTT Question Time, or drop me a line on LinkedIn.