After Apple and Spotify: Facebook is entering the podcast market

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Boy with headphones: More and more users want content to listen to

Photo: Pollyana Ventura / Getty Images

The rapid rise of the Clubhouse talk app has made internet companies sit up and take notice - in the truest sense of the word: Now there is a flood of new audio offers.

As the US magazine "The Verge" reports, Facebook plans to integrate podcasts into its platform as early as next week.

The magazine refers to emails that the social media group has apparently sent to several podcasters. Accordingly, users will be able to listen to podcasts directly on the platform from next Tuesday. The group is trying to exploit its huge number of users. "Facebook is the platform on which listeners can enjoy, discuss and share podcasts with one another," "The Verge" quotes from the email. In order to adapt the often lengthy programs to the world of social media, Facebook also wants to offer a function with which listeners can share short excerpts from the podcasts directly on the platform.

The podcast integration is just the beginning: In the coming months, Facebook plans to integrate more audio content into its network. Yesterday, company founder Mark Zuckerberg started a test run of his talk show format, which was modeled on the Clubhouse app. When the "Live Audio Talks" will be available to the general public is still unknown.

Spotify also wants to benefit from the live talk show trend.

The audio group, which shaken up the market last year with takeovers and the engagement of prominent podcasters like Barack Obama, presented its new app "Greenroom" on Wednesday, which also offers live shows.

In order to attract podcasters and artists to the new platform, Spotify has also set up a "Creator Fund" from which the providers of particularly attractive talk shows are to be paid for.

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