BBC iPlayer turns 18 this year (having famously launched on Christmas Day 2007) and, according to the BBC’s latest annual plan, is still going from strength-to-strength.
2024 broke records for the service: YOY viewing time up 23% (32% for 16-24 year olds), the strongest July ever (with 18.4m active accounts that month), and impressive data which suggests that in the UK, total BBC viewing across broadcast and iPlayer is more than Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ combined, and ahead of YouTube and TikTok combined.
Kerensa Samanidis is General Manager for BBC iPlayer where she oversees strategy, growth and business operations of the service.
Prior to the BBC, she worked with Channel 4 to develop and implement its international streaming business.
Samanidis’s long career within the streaming industry began in the early 2000’s where she devised PlayStation’s first video-on-demand strategy. She went on to hold leadership roles at WarnerMedia, AMC Networks and the BFI where she launched and managed a range of international streaming services. She also ran a successful consulting business with clients including BritBox International, BBC and Channel 4.