Streaming Eve! Seven MILLION Britons viewed the premiere of third series of the hit Jodie Comer show

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Streaming Eve! Seven MILLION Britons viewed the premiere of the third series of the hit Jodie Comer show in iPlayer boom

  • Premiere of the third series of Killing Eve took top spot on iPlayer popularity list
  • Thriller, starring Jodie Comer, fended off competition from Normal People
  • Record-breaking number of viewers have used the BBC’s streaming service 

By Eleanor Sharples Tv And Radio Reporter For The Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

British viewers love cutting-edge drama – so it’s no surprise eccentric assassin Villanelle has triumphed in the streaming battle.

The premiere of the third series of Killing Eve, called Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey, took top spot on the iPlayer popularity list for the first half of the year, with 6.95million requests.

The thriller, starring Jodie Comer, fended off competition from the first episode of Normal People, which had 5.5million requests.

The premiere of the third series of Killing Eve, called Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey, took top spot on the iPlayer popularity list for the first half of the year, with 6.95million requests. Pictured, Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri in a scene from Killing Eve

A record-breaking number of viewers have used the BBC’s streaming service, with 3.1billion requests for programmes so far this year. This was an increase of 47 per cent on the previous year.

The impact of lockdown on viewers’ habits was shown in the 1.6billion requests in the April to June period. This was an increase of more than 59 per cent in the same quarter last year – and up 17 per cent on the first three months of this year.

Show premieres dominated the top ten – with Top Gear still going strong in its 28th series, as 2.35million clicked on the first episode.

Normal People, BBC3’s 12-part adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel, received 54.8million requests over the whole season – the highest for a drama series so far this year.

The BBC’s Dan McGolpin said: ‘In a year full of challenges, the iPlayer has entertained us.’

Ofcom said a staggering 12million adults had signed up to a new subscription service during lockdown, with 3million doing so for the first time, including ‘notable rises among older demographics’.

Nearly a third of those aged 55 to 64 watched streaming services in lockdown, compared to 25 per cent beforehand. The figure for over-64s rose by a quarter, to 15 per cent.