The BBC has announced that its online-streaming service, iPlayer, has seen some fantastic traction among gamers in December.

Figures released today show that the iPlayer is now being accessed by one in eight people on a games console.

Currently the only consoles which can access the iPlayer (officially) are the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.

Rising figures

If December's figures are anything to go by, then the future is very bright for the iPlayer on a console.

Compared to November, iPlayer access via the Wii and PS3 went up a massive 74 per cent.

Among the more popular programmes on the iPlayer were the Doctor Who finale, Top Gear in Bolivia and the England V South Africa test match on radio.

Sony recently improved its access to the iPlayer on the PS3, adding a handy button to the console's XMB.