Facebook is pulling back from its foray into podcasting

Facebook’s waning interest in podcasting is a disappointment for some in the growing industry because the scale of its platform offers a large potential audience, and with it, the possibility of more advertising revenue. — AFP Relaxnews

Facebook’s interest in podcasts is fading, barely a year after it began.

Last April, during a hot market for audio, Facebook launched Live Audio Rooms, short-form stories called Soundbites and podcasts for US users. The company signed deals with creators and sponsored one of the industry’s biggest US conferences: Podcast Movement. Facebook product managers even appeared on the long-time industry program “New Media Show” to encourage podcasters to join the platform.