Facebook is Sunsetting its Podcast Platform
- Laurent Giret
- May 03, 2022
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Facebook is shutting down the podcast platform you probably didn’t know it had. According to a report from Bloomberg, Facebook plans to get rid of its podcasts offering starting June 3, and content creators will be unable to add their podcasts to the service starting this week.
Facebook introduced podcasts alongside Live Audio Rooms last year as part of a new strategy to bring social audio experiences on the platform. Podcasts were integrated with the Facebook Pages of content creators, and users could listen to them while browsing Facebook or in the background.
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“We’re constantly evaluating the features we offer so we can focus on the most meaningful experiences,” a Meta spokesperson said to Bloomberg in an email. In a note to partners obtained by Bloomberg, Facebook also explained that it has no plans to notify users about the upcoming removal of podcasts, and it will be up to publishers to decide if and how they want to announce the news.
Facebook’s spring cleaning will also affect the company’s short-form audio product Soundbites as well as the platform’s central audio hub, which will both disappear “in the coming weeks.” However, Facebook’s Live Audio Rooms, the company’s alternative to Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces will be integrated into the existing Facebook Live feature.
The podcasting market has become incredibly competitive now that Apple, Spotify, and YouTube have all increased their investments in this new medium. Spotify is now bringing video podcasts to its platform, while YouTube is reportedly working on podcast pages and new analytics tools for content creators.