Now Hear This: Facebook Debuts Live Audio

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but words are still worth something to Facebook.

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but words are still worth something to Facebook.

The social network Tuesday announced the introduction of Live Audio, a way for publishers to broadcast audio-only content live.

Product specialist Shirley Ip and software engineer Bhavana Radhakrishnan announced the new feature in a Facebook Media blog post, also pitching it as a way for publishers to go live in areas without strong network connectivity, as live audio obviously consumes far less bandwidth than live video.

Facebook will test Live Audio “over the next few weeks” with partners including BBC World Service, LBC, HarperCollins, Adam Grant and Britt Bennett, with plans to make the feature more widely available in early 2017.

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Ip and Radhakrishnan wrote:

We know that sometimes publishers want to tell a story on Facebook with words and not video.

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