The BBC is to expand its popular iPlayer service to mobile platforms from February 10 with the launch of a new app for iPad and Android mobile devices.

Initially the service won’t be available for the iPhone or iPod and it will require a wifi connection to function but the BBC are still the first terrestrial broadcaster to offer such a service for free.

Daniel Banker, general manager of Future Media and Technology, said: “These apps are coming at a time when we're really beginning to see massive growth of people 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.”

Previously mobile users could view iPlayer content via their browsers but this experience should be made faster and easier via an optimised app.