Perhaps they were wooed by appstore sales figures. The iPad is also locked down enough for those who want to have complete control over their IP.

Seriously? iPad only? Show me a statistic that shows more people use the iPad to watch tv online than their computers.

Probably because a) it's easy to restrict access to Europe with the app store and b) it's easy to charge money using the app store. I guess BBC doesn't have their own system in place yet to do subscriptions etc.

It's awkward anyway. The four BBC channels and some others are all available on cable here yet iPlayer can't be used because of geographical restrictions. Such nonsense.

My cable provider (Comcast) does not provide these channels, so the only way I can get BBC content is to listen to the radio versions online or tune in for an hour a day or so on BBC America (which really sucks).

I would love to just be able to stream BBC video all day.

Your cable provider pays for the channels and guarantees who sees it, not so easy on the web.

While I understand the app store argument, the money waiting to be made from an international BBC iPlayer service equivalent to that offered in the UK, largely compensate the "hassle" of the web/desktop market.

The BBC Formula1 coverage is extraordinary, I would pay good money for it!

This sounds pretty nice. Together with an AppleTV and Airplay, it makes it really easy to watch BBC stuff on our TV, if only the AppleTV was available in the Netherlands..

Why an iPad app? I live in the US, but always thought that iPlayer was a web app/site.

It is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv

I think this app is the first one that makes it possible to buy content when abroad, though.

From that link, I also get the impression that iPlayer still has a fairly nerdy image. The most viewed shows are a documentary about mathematics "the code" and a repeat of an episode of Sherlock; both beat an episode of Eastenders.

There has been an iPlayer iPad app for a while - I use it far more than the website.