The BBC’s on-demand iPlayer service is set to get a dedicated Wii Channel from next week.

The channel, launching just after midnight on Wednesday 18th November, should greatly improve the already popular iPlayer access on the Wii console, which can currently be viewed using the Wii’s Internet Channel.

Anyone who has already used the iPlayer in this way will know how clumsy it can be to use, with a very low quality video stream and a screen that goes dark every ten minutes or so if you don’t keep pressing a button on the Wii Remote.

The BBC’s Director of Future Media & Technology, Erik Huggers, said “We’re pleased that we’ve been able to work with Nintendo to evolve BBC iPlayer on the Wii, providing a faster, high quality and improved viewing experience.”

You can download the iPlayer Channel when it has launched, free of charge, by going to the Wii Shop Channel on the Wii Menu screen. The iPlayer Channel will only be available in the UK.