Wired
Last year, Spotify acquired the podcast discovery platform Podz for about $ 50 million to accelerate its investment in podcasts. It turns out that Spotify is currently testing new features that leverage Podz’s technology to help users discover new podcasts that suit their tastes.
Testing new features leveraging Podz technology
Podz has created a mechanism called the “first audio news feed” that delivers long podcasts with 60-second highlights. Users can scroll through the vertical feed to discover and listen to 60-second audio clips from different shows. Podz uses machine learning tools to automatically select the clips to introduce, so podcasters didn’t have to create their own clips for feeds. This acquisition is one of Spotify’s ways to improve its current podcast experience.
Product designer Chris Messina has posted a video on Twitter using the new podcast discovery feature under test.
HUGE !! @Spotify is adding a dedicated TikTok-style vertical scrolling feed for @spotifypodcasts to its toolbar!
h / t @SleepwellCap #NewSpotify pic.twitter.com/0CWolZGJQy
— Chris Messina 🪬 (@chrismessina) March 26, 2022
Release date unknown
It’s been confirmed that this feature is currently being tested, but Spotify hasn’t announced a release date. However, a spokeswoman for the company said:
Spotify conducts many tests on a regular basis to improve the user experience. Some of these tests will pave the way for our broader user experience, while others will only serve as important learning. At this point, we can’t tell you any more.
Testing is expected to take place for some time, and it’s unclear at this point what users are using this feature.
Source: Chris Messina / Twitter via 9to5Mac
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