Twitter is adding podcasts to its platform.
The app will launch a test version of Twitter Spaces today that includes podcasts, letting you listen to full shows through curated playlists based on your interests.
The redesigned Spaces tab opens with Stations, topic-based playlists combining podcast episodes pulled from RSS with Twitter’s social audio events and recordings.
It functions like a Pandora station but for spoken word and is pretty different from the a la carte listening podcast consumers are used to on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Live and upcoming spaces are still in the tab further down the page. The test will roll out to a random group of users worldwide, initially only in English.
The more users listen, the more tailored the audio Stations will become. But Twitter isn’t starting from square one– the company relies on what it already knows about its users’ interests to curate the playlists.
It’ll draw from the interests of people they follow, as well. “What we’re trying to capture here is as if it’s like another user recommending you something,”
Twitter senior product manager Evan Jones, who focuses on audio, told Hot Pod.
Podcast discovery is notoriously tricky, limited to top 100 charts, hand-picked selections on apps, or– more often than not– word of mouth.
No platform has managed to crack it yet.
It’s easy to imagine the promotional possibilities around being able to share and listen to podcasts in the same app, but it’s not quite there yet.
The test does not yet have a clipping capability, and listening can only happen in the Spaces tab, not on the timeline.
That being said, Spaces has a clipping feature that could be applied to podcasts at some point.
Twitter and podcasts could be a fruitful fit. Also Read, OnePlus 10T vs OnePlus 10 Pro which is better?
Twitter is adding podcasts to its platform
Twitter Spaces, launched in 2020 on the heels of Clubhouse’s pandemic success, already gives the app a foothold in audio.
Based on company data, Jones said that 45 percent of Twitter users are also monthly podcast listeners (given how news-oriented Twitter is, that makes a lot of sense).
Meanwhile, data uncovered by tech investigators earlier this year revealed that Twitter was experimenting with a podcast tab.
That turned out to be partially true. “We were testing out different ideas,” Jones said. Also Read, How To Download and Play The SIMS 4 on Chromebook?
“As we were whittling down the stone, we came to this, but podcasts were always going to be part of Spaces.”
Jones would not say when users can expect an official launch, but he said the final version of the feature would be influenced by how people respond to the test.
If you are one of the selected guinea pigs, feel free to email me about your experience! Twitter’s podcast announcement will build off of its existing Twitter Spaces interface.
The company has already invested in and designed audio-sharing capabilities. Also Read, Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Leaked Details Specifications
Twitter will most likely pursue some advertising/revenue model to monetize the podcast feature on its site.
The company historically has struggled to make money, despite a solid user base.
Twitter’s stock was quiet on the news, trading down less than 1% Thursday afternoon. Also Read, Clipboard History On iPhone How To get and copy or see it?
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