Facebook is shutting down its service on June 3, barely a year after it launched. The Audio hub and Soundbites feature are going to be discontinued in the coming weeks, according to the social media giant. The Live Audio Rooms offering will be integrated into the Facebook Live experience. Users will have the option to go live with audio and video, video only or audio only, if they so choose, according to the company.
After a year of learning and iterating on audio-first experiences, Meta has decided to simplify its suite of audio tools on Facebook. We constantly evaluate the features we offer so we can focus on the most meaningful experiences.
New episodes will continue to be published until June 3, according to an email sent to podcasters on Facebook. Users won't be able to link or publish new shows starting today.
In April 2021, Facebook announced a suite of new audio products, including new support for podcasts and its live audio competitor, which was an indication that it was taking the threat from other audio platforms more seriously. The company is moving on from the features it started with a year ago.
According to a recent report, Facebook's parent company Meta is said to prioritize short-video projects over other initiatives, likely due to increasing competition from popular short-form video app TikTok. This claim is seen in the email that the social media giant sent to users about shutting down the podcasts.
Your stories have inspired us and we remain committed to helping you reach and grow your audiences, according to the email.
When Facebook entered the audio market a year ago, it was a competitive move because of the dominance of Apple and Spotify. It would have taken a lot for Facebook to compete with Apple and Spotify, even if the company had a lot of money to spend.
The live audio market is dominated by two companies, both of which are continuing to develop more features. Live audio became popular as people were confined to their homes. As restrictions have been lifted for most of the world and in-person events have returned, the buzz around live audio isn't as high as it used to be.
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