BBC iPlayer stops downloads on Windows and Mac, faces backlash

BBC’s iPlayer Downloads app, used by many of us for streaming our favourite shows, has been shut down on March 11, 2024. BBC had apprised users of the change in advance last month. Any existing downloads will remain viewable until April 8, 2024.

Keeping up with the announcement, BBC had already discontinued the iPlayer Downloads app and removed it from the official website. So, anyone who hadn’t already installed the app lost the offline streaming functionality a while ago. For the rest, it stopped on March 11.

Download and offline streaming have not been discontinued on tablet and mobile apps, i.e. Android and iOS. The changes are limited to PCs.

BBC, on its official support page, said,

We have made the difficult decision to close the BBC iPlayer Downloads application for PC and Mac, due to the low number of people using it and the cost required to keep it going. This does not affect downloads on the BBC iPlayer mobile or tablet apps, and viewers can continue to stream programmes on BBC iPlayer on their PCs and Macs.

BBC iPlayer users are not pleased with the change

BBC iPlayer users are not happy with the discontinuation of offline streaming on PCs. A few took to the web to vent their frustration.

It is a shame. I like to download rather than watch online in order to avoid buffering at busy times, although to be fair, this has got better lately. I should imagine the closure is to save money on maintaining the desktop app but it is hard to see any savings as more than notional since it is unlikely to need a dedicated team for occasional bug-fixes in a mature product.

I have BBC iPlayer downloader on my Windows 11 laptop and use it to download programmes to watch at a later time in work. As some of you may know, the BBC, in its infinite stupidity, has announced that from 11th March 2024, the PC/Laptop version will cease to work as they are closing it down.

Offline streaming was a good option for many of us while travelling. And watching content on a 15″ display always made more sense over the mobile’s 5.5″ screen. Besides, downloaded content doesn’t buffer, which is a plus point for many of us in areas with poor network connectivity.

Workarounds to stream offline in BBC iPlayer on PC

When such changes are introduced, enthusiasts always find a way around it. The simplest option right now is to use an effective screen mirroring software. It will allow you to cast the screen and view BBC iPlayer downloads on the PC.

Another quick workaround is to use an Android emulator on the PC. With this, the BBC iPlayer will function as if it were running on an Android device.

If none of these work out for you, maybe get a tablet with a slightly bigger display. Because, BBC iPlayer’s offline streaming on Windows and MacOS is not coming back!

What do you think of BBC’s decision to stop iPlayer downloads? Share with our readers in the comments section.