Facebook will pull the plug on its podcast business and plans to remove it completely from its social media presence effective June 3.
As a result, the social media giant — which has faced heated criticism for its inability to police false and incendiary content — will stop letting people add their podcasts to its platform. It also plans to discontinue its short-form audio product Soundbites and remove its central audio hub.
“We’re constantly evaluating the features we offer so we can focus on the most meaningful experiences,” a Meta spokesperson said an email. They further added that Soundbites and the audio hub will be shut down in the “coming weeks.”
Yet Facebook may have also entered an overcrowded market. The move comes not long after CNN shut down its short-lived CNN+ streaming service, which would’ve burned through $1 billion before becoming profitable, sources said.
Read more about Facebook’s decision here.
