BBC iPlayer makes drama first

The BBC will premiere the fifth season of drama series Moving On via its iPlayer, making the show the first full drama series to debut on the VoD service.

The five-part series is made up of stand-alone stories exploring a variety of topics ranging from compulsive shoplifting to sibling rivalry and family secrets. It is being produced by LA Productions and will be broadcast on BBC1 after its iPlayer bow.

Tony Hall, director general of the UK pubcaster, recently outlined plans to develop the service into what will effectively become a fifth channel for the broadcaster.

The BBC has already begun to trial online premiering across a range of genres and channels, while a host of other changes, including pop-up channels and more iPlayer-exclusive content, have also been planned.

BBC3 comedy series have already debuted on iPlayer since August and the corporation’s recently greenlit series with stand-up comic Peter Kay is also being distributed in this way before a linear premiere.

Victoria Jaye, head of TV content for BBC iPlayer, said: “Over the past year there has been 43% growth in BBC iPlayer usage across mobile and tablet, with drama programmes driving almost a third of total viewing.”