iPlayer coming to Nintendo Wii

Finally a reason to dust off my Wii

There has not exactly been a plethora of scorching content over the past few months for the Wii and I was starting to think about shifting the dust off it for when New Super Mario Bros Wii was released but now I have a whole new reason.  Nintendo and the BBC has issued a joint press release stating their intent to add a new iPlayer Channel to the Wii dashboard at 00:01am on November 18th (the day after Microsoft rolls out Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm).    No word as to costs etc but you have to think that the iPlayer channel will be a free download so that’s all good.  Grab the full PR below if you fancy a more in depth read :-

BBC and Nintendo launch new ‘BBC iPlayer’ as a Wii Channel

London, Nov 13th 2009 The BBC and Nintendo UK today unveil a new version of the popular BBC iPlayer on Nintendo’s Wii. First made available through the console’s internet channel in April 08, BBC iPlayer will now be available as a dedicated ‘Wii Channel’ to provide Wii users with a new, richer experience of the BBC’s TV and Radio on demand catch up service. The new Wii Channel is expected to be available from 00:01 on Wednesday 18th November.

Since BBC iPlayer first launched on the Nintendo Wii, there have been 900,000 requests for TV and Radio programmes, and this new version of BBC iPlayer for Wii has been designed to deliver a better and higher quality experience, with a new full screen user interface allowing the whole family to catch up on TV and radio together in the lounge.

Erik Huggers Director BBC Future Media & Technology said:

“We’re pleased that we’ve been able to work with Nintendo to evolve BBC iPlayer on the Wii, providing a faster, high quality and improved viewing experience. It’s important that we offer audiences more ways to access the huge range of BBC content available, and this improved version of BBC iPlayer underlines our commitment to reaching new audiences by making BBC iPlayer available on as many platforms as possible.”

David Yarnton, General Manager, Nintendo UK, added:

“Our partnership with the BBC is another way in which Nintendo is looking to broaden the market for its products by offering compelling and relevant content to families. BBC iPlayer offers Wii owners another reason to turn their console on everyday and adds to the already established non gaming content on Wii that includes Wii Channels for news, weather forecasts and an internet browser.”

To use the new BBC iPlayer on Nintendo’s Wii, Wii users should download the BBC iPlayer Wii Channel from the menu screen of Wii Shop Channel. Once downloaded, users simply click on the BBC iPlayer icon to launch the new full screen service, then select and play their favourite BBC TV or radio programme that they want to watch.

BBC iPlayer can now be accessed on an increasing number of different platforms and devices, including mobile phones, TV’s and gaming consoles.

- Ends-

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