The popularity of the BBC's iPlayer has "rocketed", according to one media analyst.

Global intelligence firm for broadband and digital platforms, Screen Digest, has published a report of usage data figures and forecasts for online TV media in the UK, which reveals that the iPlayer has experienced a "surge" in usage.

The firm reports that the BBC's platform accounted for 38 per cent of all free-to-view streams in the UK during 2007.

Its success was put down to the "comparative lag in other broadcasters' delivery models", with the BBC's model receiving praise for its browser-based open-access delivery and flash-based streaming.

During 2007 around 0.8 billion free-to-view online TV streams and downloads were initiated by UK broadband households in total – a figure expected to rise to 1.5 billion by the end of 2008.

Arash Amel, senior analyst at Screen Digest, said: "It is expected that the success of the BBC's iPlayer open web streaming model will encourage UK commercial broadcasters to enter a long term reassessment of how they deliver programming to users."

He added that the "long-term financial outlook" of the UK online TV sector now depends on the future development of "convincing platform strategies" from UK commercial broadcasters such as ITV, Channel Four and Five.

Channel Four launched its online streaming service, 4oD, in December 2006 allowing viewers to download programmes they missed on TV, often for free.

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