Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has begun testing a live audio streaming service in preparation for a launch next year. The feature will allow audio broadcasting on the social network. Currently, Facebook is testing the service with a select group of media partners such as BBC World Service and Harper Collins. It is also testing the service with authors such as Brit Bennet and Adam Grant.

User feedback

The Palo Alto-based tech company said the new product was a part of an ongoing improvement exercise aimed at fulfilling their users’ needs.

“As we continue to improve the Facebook Live experience, we’ve been listening to feedback to inform the new tools and features we build. One thing we’ve heard is that partners want new formats for going live …” Facebook software engineer, Bhavana Rhadakrishnan, and product specialist, Shirley Ip, wrote in a blog post.

With the audio broadcasting feature, users of Android will be able to close the Facebook app, launch another app and still continue listening to the audio originating from the new social media giant’s audio streaming feature. This will, however, not be the case with users of mobile devices running on iOS.

Besides radio stations broadcasting programs and authors doing live readings of their books, there are a host of other uses that Facebook’s audio broadcasting feature could be put to. This includes musicians broadcasting studio sessions or concerts, celebrities doing question and answer sessions, and journalists broadcasting audio from remote areas where video streaming might not be possible due to bandwidth limitations.

Unlimited interactivity

Just as is the case with Live Video, it will be possible for listeners of Facebook’s audio broadcasts to discover on News Feed live audio content. Listeners will also be able to ask questions, comment, and share.

The audio broadcasting feature is expected to be rolled out to the general public in early 2017. This will allow any user to set up a radio station on the social network that has an audience of 1.75 billion users, a factor that should concern audio-hosting platforms such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes and SoundCloud.

On Tuesday, Facebook’s shares fell 0.14% to close the day at $119.07.