Facebook is planning to launch its podcast product on June 22nd, and eventually, it will add a new feature that will allow its users to create clips from various shows. Facebook had sent emails to various page owners explaining that using the new feature, they could link any show’s RSS feed to Facebook, which will automatically generate News Feed posts of the same videos. At first, a limited number of page owners were supposed to get the new rollout but Facebook has confirmed that emails are still being sent to additional page owners, which indicates a much larger rollout. Facebook will also add a new Podcast tab to its websites and apps in the future.
Podcasters who upload their podcasts on Facebook will have to abide by Facebook’s terms of service. One of the terms lends Facebook the rights to do derivative works which might not raise the alarm for a lot of podcasters. Still, nonetheless, it may make deciphering their IP addresses vulnerable. Moreover, the podcasters can also decide to enable clips that might make the podcasts more visible. These short clips can be shared outside the podcaster’s page.
This additional update to their website and app comes after the company announced its move towards more audio-based content. Back in April, the company had announced the possible inclusion of a feature called Soundbites which will be integrated with the News Feed. Soundbites will help the users create short clips. Many podcasters use Facebook to promote or talk about their own podcasts, so integrating the podcast option in Facebook will make it easier for people to access podcasts from one place. It could also be that Facebook is looking for ad revenue even within the podcast networks, very much like Spotify.
As mentioned above, only a handful of page owners will get access to this new feature first, and Facebook will eventually launch the update to all of its users.
