FACEBOOK UNVEILS BIG AUDIO PUSH, ADDING PODCASTS IN BID TO TAKE ON CLUBHOUSE

Wed 21 April 2021:

Facebook on Monday said it is adding podcasts and “live audio rooms” in a push to get people talking and take on the fast-growing audio-based app Clubhouse.

“We think a lot of magic happens at the intersection of audio formats, as well as at the confluence of text, audio and video,” Facebook app chief Fidji Simo said in a blog post.

Facebook’s plan to weave audio offerings into the social network comes as it works to prevent losing users to Clubhouse.

Facebook has seen a steady rise in users opting for voice, from audio calls at the social network to leaving spoken messages using WhatsApp of Messenger.

The Silicon Valley titan is building new audio creation tools Simo described as “like having a sound studio in your pocket.”

The tools will let people create short-form Soundbites such as jokes, anecdotes, or spontaneous thoughts, according to Simo.

“While we’re big believers in the power of short-form audio, we also know that some stories and conversations deserve more airtime,” Simo said.

More than 170 million people are connected to Facebook pages centered on podcasts, and some 35 million users are members of podcast fan groups, but actually listening to one required leaving the social network.

“Within the next few months, you’ll be able to listen to podcasts directly on the Facebook app — both while using the app or when the app is backgrounded,” Simo said.

Facebook also planned to begin testing Live Audio Rooms, expected the feature to be available to all users by the middle of this year.

The news came a day after Clubhouse said it closed a new funding round as the wildly popular live audio app struggles to scale up in response to demand. The latest round gives the startup a valuation of some $4 billion, according to sources.

Launched last year, the San Francisco-based platform is looking to establish itself as the standard-bearer for digital audio and has already inspired copycat products.