Facebook has confirmed that it is pulling out of podcasting, just a year after entering the market.
A change in focus appears to be the main reason with promotion of its “Metaverse” and a shift in attention to its main feed and some of its newer products like Instagram Reels.
According to a note sent to partners, people will no longer be able to upload podcasts from this week, and according to Bloomberg, it will discontinue both its short-form audio product Soundbites and remove its central audio hub.
In an email a Meta spokesperson told Bloomberg, “We’re constantly evaluating the features we offer so we can focus on the most meaningful experiences”, adding that they didn’t have a specific date on when Soundbites and the audio hub would shut down but it will be in the “coming weeks.”
Facebook isn’t planning to alert users to the fact that podcasts are leaving the platform, leaving that instead to publishers.
It doesn’t mean the end to audio on the platform as the Live Audio rooms will be integrated into Facebook Live and users will now be able to upload audio as well as audio and video.
This story first appeared on RadioInfo.asia