David Farnor | On 19, Jan 2014

BBC iPlayer topped the YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz charts for the second year running in 2013.

The streaming service enjoyed a record Christmas period at the end of last year, with a rise in tablet users driving up downloads to new heights of 102 million. On New Year’s Day 2014, iPlayer received 11 million requests for TV and radio programmes, 35 per cent higher than the same day in 2013 and the busiest day in the site’s history.

The BrandIndex Buzz survey asks respondents if they have heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks – through advertising or word of mouth – and, if so, whether it was positive or negative.

iPlayer’s ability to retain the top spot in YouGov’s poll shows just how popular the service become as part of the nation’s viewing habits – a reputation that only improved as the BBC extended its streaming periods from a week to 30 days.

John Lewis, Samsung, Aldi and Dyson make up the rest of the top five, but YouTube crashed the established brands’ party by entering at number 10 for the first time. While reaction to the integration of Google+ into the video site’s comments section has been mixed, YouTube’s other initiatives such as Geek Week saw the video portal become more highly recorded than ever.

Netflix, though, is quickly climbing the charts. The Internet TV company has had a phenomenal year, from introducing its first Netflix Original show, House of Cards, and securing the exclusive subscription streaming rights to Breaking Bad to bagging awards for both at the Emmys. It is no surprise, then, that Netflix topped the list of most improved brands, according to YouGov. With an Oscar nomination under its belt for documentary The Square and Season 2 of House of Cards on the way, could it make the top 10 in 2014?

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