The soap was streamed a mammoth 366 million times in 2022.
EastEnders had its best ever year of viewing on Player in 2022, the BBC has confirmed.
In what was a record-breaking year for the streaming service, the FIFA World Cup – which aired at the end of last year – clocked up over 92 million views, while iPlayer broke 7 billion streams for the first time ever.
iPlayer saw its best quarter and best month ever – racking up a total of 2 billion streams between October and December, and 700 million streams in December alone.
But although the football fared best, EastEnders also performed extremely well and was streamed 366 million times – yes, you read that right!
Last autumn, the show aired the beginning of a heartbreaking storyline for EastEnders favourite Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold), who was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour.
Meanwhile, Christmas Day’s offering saw Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) bow out as he dived into the sea to rescue soulmate Linda (Kellie Bright), only to never resurface.
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/08/411214-a778e2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
EastEnders is on fine form at the moment, and is due to celebrate its 38th year on the air next month. So it may come as no surprise that iPlayer’s figures are up on 2021 by 9%.
The likes of Doctor Who and Death in Paradise can also boast impressive numbers, with streams of 56,100,000 and 46,091,000 respectively.
Director of BBC iPlayer, Dan McGolpin, said of BBC iPlayer’s achievement: “2022 saw huge growth for BBC iPlayer, 7 billion streams is double where we were a few years ago.
“Alongside the big events like the World Cup and the outstanding coverage of the state funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, people arrived in their millions to watch an array of big drama boxsets including the final series of Peaky Blinders and a large number of brand new series such as The Tourist, The Responder and SAS Rogue Heroes.
“Over the last year we’ve added more choice than ever before in every genre, with plenty more in store for 2023.”
Can the BBC beat the record in 2023?
Read more:
- “Reduce EastEnders to three episodes a week,” says Russell T Davies
- EastEnders confirms explosive return for Lily’s father Ryan Malloy
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Soaps hub.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.