Facebook is introducing live audio broadcasting because it benefits Facebook to be a platform that does it all.

Facebook: Live Audio will make live audio broadcasting a whole lot easier, and even if you’ve never done it before.

The audio-only feature was announced just prior to Christmas and is a new option for Facebook Live – audio-only broadcasts. And with live content getting a reach boost, you can be sure that podcasters will be interested in this one.

People often like to listen to audio while doing other things. In the pasts people took audio tapes and CDs into their cars and turned their vehicle into a rolling university. Not feeling the need to have your eyes engaged is a big plus for the multi-tasker within.

Whether it is a full blown podcast or a few minutes of personal perspective, informed by your own unique expertise and delivered with casual confidence, audio is always appreciated.

The FB media department says: We know that sometimes publishers want to tell a story on Facebook with words and not video. We’ve even seen some Pages find creative ways to go live and reach audiences with audio only by using the Facebook Live API or by adding a still image to accompany their audio broadcast. Our new Live Audio option makes it easy to go live with audio only when that’s the broadcaster’s preferred format.

We also know that publishers sometimes go live from areas that lack strong network connectivity. Though we alert the broadcaster if their signal is low, Live Audio presents another option for connecting with audiences in real time from low-connectivity areas.

From interviews to book readings, we’re excited about the layer of interactivity that Live Audio brings to both the broadcaster and listener. Just as with a live video on Facebook, listeners can discover live audio content in News Feed, ask questions and leave reactions in real time during the broadcast, and easily share with their friends.

We know that people often like to listen to audio while doing other things; people using Android devices will be able to continue listening to a Live Audio broadcast even if they leave the Facebook app or lock their phones, while iOS listeners will be able to continue listening as they browse other parts of Facebook.

Early in 2017 FB plans to make this new format more broadly available to publishers and people.