Podcasts are now officially available on Twitter

Twitter is officially entering the podcast industry. Today, the social network made the announcement that it will include podcasts into its platform as part of the redesigned Spaces tab. Starting today, a group of English-speaking users worldwide can access the updated Spaces tab and the podcast addition on iOS and Android.

The redesign introduces user-specific “Stations” that compile material based on a variety of categories, including news, music, sports, and more. Your recommended reading will be based on the topics and influencers you follow. Now, Twitter users may access a personalised selection of recorded and live Spaces. The most well-liked podcasts from around the globe will also be featured on the hubs. To let Twitter know if a podcast’s content interests you, you can rate it with a thumbs up or down after discovering it.

There are three sections when you first click the Spaces Tab. You can listen to various themes and Topics through the Stations, which are shown at the top of the page and scroll horizontally. Below that, you will see Spaces highlight, which lists some of the top selected audio material. Finally, a list of future Spaces will be displayed.

Given that the social network has been seen testing a podcast feature for the past few months, today’s announcement shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. However, initial tests showed that Twitter was working on a standalone podcasts tab, but today’s launch suggests that Twitter is instead focused in making podcasts a part of Spaces, as opposed to providing them their own home on the platform. Twitter is creating audio stations and a customised audio digest, according to a report.

“Integrating podcasts into Spaces, where audio conversations happen on Twitter, is another way we’re continuing to invest in audio creators,” Twitter said in a blog post. “To do this in a simple and intuitive way that allows listeners to simply hit play and go, we started with a redesigned audio experience in the Spaces Tab.”

In order to help users find content based on their interests, Twitter will now automatically suggest podcasts. According to internal data, 45% of Twitter users in the U.S. who utilise the service do so on a monthly basis.

When asked if Twitter has a timeframe for the larger rollout or desktop launch of podcasts, a representative for the social network responded to TechCrunch that the business will gather feedback on the initial test and develop the functionality soon.

By giving consumers even more audio content to listen to, Twitter claims that the addition of podcasts is part of its efforts to offer users a “all-in-one, personalised audio destination.”

The introduction of Twitter’s podcast service coincides with Meta’s Facebook’s recent shutdown of its podcast service, which was only in operation for about a year. Additionally, the corporation stopped offering its Audio hub and short-form audio product called Soundbites. The shift occurred at the same time that TikTok, another well-known short-form video app, was reportedly increasing its competition with Meta by giving short-video projects priority over other initiatives.

Given Facebook’s decision to stop producing podcasts, Twitter’s entry into the audio medium could give it a competitive advantage over other social media platforms if it can scale them effectively.

It’s important to note that Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, the former director of security at Twitter, recently said that Spaces lacks sufficient moderation. In an explosive whistleblower complaint, Zatko made the assertion. In December 2021, a Twitter executive allegedly misled the company’s staff and board members by claiming that the feature was being properly moderated. However, according to Zatko, he later learned that “about half of Spaces content flagged for review was in a language that the moderators did not speak, and there was little to no moderation happening.”