Facebook likely to launch dedicated podcasts tab on June 22

Facebook could roll out a dedicated podcast tab as soon as next week on June 22, 2021. The social media giant's new podcast feature will enable users to create sound clips from their favourite shows and them on Facebook. In April, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had noted that Facebook would be rolling out its audio suite of products. The terms and conditions of the podcasts on Facebook are live and can be viewed by anyone.

The Verge received an email from Facebook which noted that Facebook will allow hosts to link their RSS feed to the Facebook following which will automatically generate New Feed posts for new podcast episodes. These episodes will then be visible on a dedicated Podcasts tab on the Facebook page. "Facebook will be the place where people can enjoy, discuss, and share the podcasts they love with each other," the company says in this email.

The report notes that Facebook could work on Spotify-like podcast advertising for exclusive shows. Besides, introducing a dedicated podcast tab will also encourage users -- hosts or listeners to not leave the app. Earlier this month, Podnews reported that only select publishers would get access to the podcast feature, which was also confirmed by The Verge. However, the report now notes that many publishers have received the email highlighting that the rollout might be wider than anticipated earlier.

Facebook in April added a feature wherein Spotify users can listen to full songs on the Facebook app. The feature enables Spotify customers to listen to music and podcasts at a stretch using a mini player while scrolling within Facebook. The mini player is an extension of the social sharing option already supported within Spotify's app. With the new mini player available on Facebook, Spotify users will be able to share content to Facebook by tapping on the Share menu in the upper right screen and then select Facebook or Facebook Newsfeed. In 2019 Facebook and Spotify made a deal to allow short music clips from Spotify to be posted on Facebook Stories.

Facebook audio products will also feature soundbites which is a short-form audio product that will feature a stream of brief clips. Zuckerberg had noted that soundbites will be like an audio version of Reels, a short video format that was introduced by Facebook last year.