BBC iPlayer launches on the Nintendo Wii

Tonight at midnight, the BBC iPlayer will be made available for the Nintendo Wii's Opera Browser.

This means that you will be able to watch BBC content, for free, on your TV, on demand. Top Gear, Doctor Who, (sigh) Eastenders and tonnes more BBC shows will be available for a week after they air.

From the BBC - "Early versions of the service will be available from 9 April but more polished software will be released as the service is developed. The iPlayer on the Wii is currently being tested and the BBC expects to release more test versions in late 2008. An early version of the service is available from 9 April. It is only available in the UK to licence-fee payers. The BBC said a message would be sent to Wii owners to alert them to its availability."

Sounds good to me, I would hope for a dedicated iPlayer Channel at some point in the future, with a custom designed interface for the Wii.

Congregations to the BBC, this is a service better than what piracy offers, and that is really what you need to do to prevent future generations from becoming increasingly disenfranchised towards the media.