BBC iPlayer has seen over 1.7 billion streams in the first three months of the year, the best ever numbers for a single quarter and 22 per cent higher than the same period last year.
The success has been driven by new titles like The Serpent and Bloodlands, returning big hitters including Line of Duty and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and popular box sets like Pretty Little Liars, Spiral and Not Going Out.
The Serpent’s opening episode was iPlayer’s biggest episode of the year so far with 6 million streams, while the series overall was streamed a total of 33 million times between January and March.
Line of Duty has also been a hit with viewers, as the first episode of AC-12’s latest case saw over 3.6 million streams in just 11 days up to the end of March. The previous series have also performed strongly on iPlayer, with the Line of Duty box set streamed 35 million times in the first three months of the year.
Also popular was the first episode of crime thriller Bloodlands, the new series produced by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio and based in County Down in Northern Ireland. Traces was also a big hit on iPlayer, as viewers were gripped by the thrilling murder mystery set against gorgeous Dundee landscapes.
The top performing episodes per series on iPlayer between January and March 2021 are:
| Rank | Programme | Series | Episode | Streams |
| 1 | The Serpent | Series 1 | Episode 1 | 5,892,000 |
| 2 | Line of Duty | Series 6 | Episode 1 | 3,621,000 |
| 3 | Bloodlands | Series 1 | Episode 1 | 3,602,000 |
| 4 | Traces | Series 1 | Episode 1 | 3,458,000 |
| 5 | A Perfect Planet | Series 1 | Episode 1 – Volcano | 3,324,000 |
| 6 | Katie Price: Harvey and Me | 2,833,000 | ||
| 7 | EastEnders | 01/01/2021 | 2,526,000 | |
| 8 | Forensics: The Real CSI | Series 2 | Episode 1 | 1,985,000 |
| 9 | Death in Paradise | Series 10 | Episode 1 | 1,952,000 |
| 10 | The Terror | Series 1 | Go for Broke | 1,942,000 |
Dan McGolpin, Director, BBC iPlayer and Channels said: “BBC iPlayer is getting more viewing than ever in 2021 thanks to new must-watch series like The Serpent and Bloodlands, returning big hitters like Line of Duty and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK plus a broad range of box sets now available including Pretty Little Liars, Spiral and Not Going Out.
“It’s not just the amount to choose from which is improving but the look and feel of iPlayer has also been changing with exciting innovations coming soon.”