Just to follow up on what I said above...
The BBC have been working on a project that some people have called the project Freeview 2.0 but that's never been an official name. Originally called Project Canvass it's now called YouView. Alan Sugar is non-executive chairman of the project.
It aims to deliver a new set top box that can display broadcast TV channels as well as web based content. Instead of each company having it's own iplayer, the box will have one that delivers web content from all the terrestrial channels not just the BBC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouViewAlthough intended to output to a TV there will have to be a web based version for PC. I can't see companies wanting to keep their seperate iPlayers.
You can see how powerful this approach will be by the number of complaints from TV companies that decided not to get involved.
Another motivation for this project (in my opinion) is that it may provide a way for the BBC to migrate away from a license fee to a subscription model but that will depend on how popular it is.
My only complaint is that they need to get a move on with it.