It has been hard to miss the amount of live video broadcasting Facebook has been pushing in the last few months with the successful launch of their service, Facebook Live. Now the company sees it fit to turn its attention to more audio-centric programs. The new feature was announced yesterday, and is set to go into the testing phases over the next couple of weeks. BBC World Service, LBC and even authors such as Adam Grant are working with Facebook to help launch this live audio broadcasting service which is set for early in 2017.
Facebook claims they are doing this service because they know sometimes content creators will want to tell a story “with words and not video,” which Facebook is willing to cater for. Also this service will be a great option for those who are on a network with poor connectivity, since audio takes up less bandwidth.
“From interviews to book readings, we’re excited about the layer of interactivity that Live Audio brings to both the broadcaster and listener. Just as with a live video on Facebook, listeners can discover live audio content in News Feed, ask questions and leave reactions in real time during the broadcast, and easily share with their friends.
We know that people often like to listen to audio while doing other things; people using Android devices will be able to continue listening to a Live Audio broadcast even if they leave the Facebook app or lock their phones, while iOS listeners will be able to continue listening as they browse other parts of Facebook.”
As said before, the service is expected to launch early 2017.
