BBC iPlayer apps for Android and iPad will be in stores by this weekend, the BBC said in a blog. The move follows the success of the BBC News app that was launched last year.
The BBC said that finishing touches were being applied to the apps, and they will be soon off the production line.
The number of people using BBC iPlayer on mobile devices has been rising.
BBC Future Media and Technology general manager Daniel Danker said these apps are coming an increasing number of people are using BBC iPlayer on mobile devices. Over Christmas, growth in mobile use of BBC iPlayer outpaced PC growth by more than 2-to-1, and BBC iPlayer growth on tablets outpaced PCs by more than 20-to-1.
Danker said, "Apps are a big part of our plans to make BBC Online more easily accessible on mobile devices. The BBC News app has been a success for us since launching last year and BBC iPlayer will be next off the production line."
BBC Future Media and Technology director Erik Huggers had announced at Mobile World Congress last year that apps were an integral part of their plans to make BBC Online more easily accessible on mobile devices.
BBC iPlayer apps are designed to allow watching live TV and listening to radio, access to the BBC’s full catalogue of catch-up programmes, seven-days’ TV and radio on demand as well as series stacking.
Users will be able to watch BBC TV live via the app for free.
It also promises a simple and intuitive design with high picture quality and personalised favourites.
To download and use the app, a device that uses Android version 2.2 and has Adobe Flash 10.1 Player installed is required. It will only work when a user has a wifi connection.
It will initially be limited to the UK, but the BBC has plans of launching a subscription-based international version for the iPad this summer.
