Facebook has entered the live audio world by launching its own podcast service. Facebook rolled out its podcast product next, on June 22nd, and it will soon add a feature which will allow listeners to create clips from their favorite shows.
“Facebook will be the place where people can enjoy, discuss, and share the podcasts they love with each other,” the company says in an email to The Verge. People putting up their podcasts on Facebook would naturally have to agree to the terms and conditions of the service. In addition to these the podcasters will have the option to distribute their show and can decide whether or not to enable clips, which Facebook says will be created by listeners and last up to one minute in length.
“People can listen to podcasts while browsing Facebook, via a mini player or full-screen player experience with playback options, including with their phone display turned off. People can listen to select podcast creators on their Facebook Pages, as well as in News Feed. You’ll have access to a diverse catalog of podcasts and be able to react to, comment, bookmark and share your favorite podcasts.” Says Facebook. “To start, the initial slate of podcasts will include Joe Budden of The Joe Budden Podcast; “Jess Hilarious” of Carefully Reckless from The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio; Keltie Knight, Becca Tobin, and Jac Vanek of the LadyGang; and Nicaila Matthews Okome of Side Hustle Pro. We’ll continue to add more podcasts in the coming weeks.“
Looking ahead on their journey Facebook says that this radio roll out is just the beginning of their audio journey. The social media giant will also soon start testing other audio products like the central listening destination and background audio listening for videos to further a unique social media experience for all its users.
