Events such as Eurovision, the Queen’s Jubilee, FA Cup Final and Glastonbury helped BBC iPlayer reach 1.6 billion streams between April and June, making it the streamer’s best-ever quarter.
The first half of 2022 has also been iPlayer’s best ever, with programmes streamed 140 million times more than the same period last year.
Glastonbury was the period’s best performing boxset with 36 million streams up to the end of June, and 39.4 million to date.
The BBC’s coverage of the Platinum Party at the Palace (which was streamed 3.1 million times on iPlayer), the FA Cup Final (2.7 million streams), and the Eurovision Song Contest (2.4 million streams) were also huge draws during the period.
Dramatic content also drew viewers to the service, with the final episode of Peaky Blinders the best episode of the quarter, streaming 4 million times, plus there were strong performances from the last series of The Split and Killing Eve.
Dan McGolpin, director of BBC iPlayer and channels, said: “I’m delighted with the performance of BBC iPlayer during the second quarter of 2022, with the BBC’s unique and distinctive programme range creating compelling choices for all.
“It’s fantastic to see our comprehensive Glastonbury coverage coming out on top for viewers with almost 40 million streams and there were other events that also brought the nation together, the unforgettable Platinum Party at the Palace, Liverpool’s nail-biting victory on penalties in the FA Cup Final and Sam Ryder achieving the United Kingdom’s best performance in two decades at Eurovision.
McGolpin added: “Quarter three is off to a great start with record audiences for the Women’s Euros and Wimbledon, we’re well on track for iPlayer’s best year ever.”
