It’s news like this that makes creators and businesses on Facebook skeptical. Today, Bloomberg reported that Facebook is pulling the plug on podcast support and display options, which it launched just June of last year. It seems that Meta is taking Facebook away from audio.
As Bloomberg stated:
“Facebook is pulling out of podcasts and plans to remove them altogether from the social-media service starting June 3. Facebook will stop letting people add podcasts to the service starting this week, according to a note sent to partners. It will discontinue both its short-form audio product Soundbites and remove its central audio hub.”
Audio: Out
Facebook originally previewed these options last April, as part of its broader push into trying audio social – a direct response to Clubhouse’s then-rising popularity. Meta promoted a range of upcoming podcast options, including on-page display tools and direct connection options. These would have enabled Facebook users to tune into podcasts without having to go off-app.
June of the same year (2021), Meta officially launched its podcast support tools, with various launch partners. Meta originally presented the option as a way to showcase your podcast content to billions of users, engaging with fans in the app and helping them grow their communities.
Roughly after a meager 10 months, Facebook is fully calling it quits with the option, effectively ‘dumping’ any stakeholder who has learned to heavily utilize and rely on these tools out in the cold. In a brief statement to Bloomberg, Meta said: “We’re constantly evaluating the features we offer so we can focus on the most meaningful experiences.”
As noted, Meta is known for suddenly ‘pulling out the rug’ from underneath creators and brands. Every time this happens, people’s trust in the network erodes, reminding creators not to ‘build on rented’ land’. The main reason behind this is that Meta can change the rules of the game whenever it feels like it. Despite having shown interest in podcasts for only a few months, this development will likely have multiple owners experiencing flashbacks of moments where Mark and Co’s various strategic switches eventually led to lower reach and engagement.
Apparently, Meta also doesn’t plan to alert users of the change, instead of leaving it to publishers to crack open the news.
The Wrap
Though not entirely clear as to why Meta is really looking to get rid of a relatively young feature, it does have something to do with rising costs and a full shift towards developing the Metaverse. Meta seems to be reassessing its best bets, allowing it to better manage expenses and better optimize revenue generation.
On this note, perhaps audio is no longer big enough of a contender for Meta to simply continue. While some have enjoyed a decent amount of success with social audio, it would seem that the option garnered very little interest to stay afloat within Facebook. Let this be a reminder that despite Facebook being great for developing reach and engagement, all the massive opportunities that it introduces can also all go away in an instant.
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Sources