Say hello to ‘Greenroom’ AKA spotify’s new live audio app.

It’s Spotify’s first real attempt at creating a social media platform, allowing people to host live conversations about sports, music and culture.

Spotify users worldwide can join or host live audio rooms, and optionally turn those conversations into podcasts.

It’s also announcing a Creator Fund that will help fuel the new app with more content in the future.

The app is built on Locker Room, here’s your changes:

Back in March, Spotify acquired sports-focused audio app ‘Locker Room’ and now Spotify Greenroom has replaced it with the re-designed green room experience available now.

The locker room app focused solely on sports content, and now it’s a mix of sports, culture and more. Other noticeable changes to the app are mostly visual. It now has a Spotify green-and-black color scheme, as well as a new logo and font.

Native recording, is also featured, which will allow users to save their shows and distribute them as podcasts.

Mic battle: Facebook VS Spotify

Every tech company now seems to be interested in social audio, and demand is on the rise.

Since Clubhouse launched at the start of last year, Twitter has launched Spaces, Facebook hosted its first Live Rooms, and other companies.

Facebook is planning to start rolling out its podcast on June 22nd, and, eventually, similar to spotify, this feature will allow listeners to take charge, and create clips.

According to an email sent to podcast page owners and viewed by The Verge, hosts can link their show’s RSS feed up to Facebook, which will then automatically generate News Feed posts for all episodes published moving forward.

Facebook confirmed with The Verge that a limited number of page owners would have access. However, emails are still being sent to additional page owners, suggesting the rollout might be wider than initially anticipated.

“Facebook will be the place where people can enjoy, discuss, and share the podcasts they love with each other,” the company says in this email.

Telstra, Australia’s biggest telco is expanding its footprint in the media broadcasting world

[Telstra] – Telstra Broadcast Services will broadcast some of the world’s biggest events to more parts of the globe and play a key role in delivering 24/7 programming to millions of people with the acquisition of the business and assets of MediaCloud Pty Ltd.

The acquisition of MediaCloud will provide TBS with a suite of significant software-defined and cloud-based capabilities, media cloud delivery experts and a London Master Control Room, that is equipped with the capability to support major global companies and events.

The addition of MediaCloud capabilities to TBS’s Professional Media portfolio will enable it to offer:

• Managed Streaming – a complete as-a-service offering that enables broadcasters to specify, launch and monitor over-the-top services with minimal resources while maintaining broadcast-grade SLAs.
• Internet Delivery – the ability to deliver high-quality video content and live broadcast streams including HD, SD and Ultra HD to any registered destination point, across the public internet. It is expected that this internet delivery capability will form a new entry-level tier of services, the Telstra Internet Delivery Network, available to broadcasters and media companies wishing to use TBS’s global networks but not requiring the premium service level agreements offered by its current solutions.
• Media Management and Content Orchestration – a fully managed, or platform-as-a-service offering, providing media asset management, content orchestration of complex media workflows and localisation. This will also include the ability to import, manage and preview video, audio and subtitle assets, along with various transmission schedules.
• Playout – a fully managed 24/7 service for the creation of broadcast-grade linear and complex television channels.

As part of the acquisition, Australian free-to-air TV channel SBS has renewed its playout contract for MediaCloud services for seven years. This means everything from SBS News to the latest primetime show will be assembled and played out via TBS. 

Darren Farnham, SBS Acting Chief Technology Officer said, “We’re pleased to have extended our agreement for MediaCloud services with the backing of Telstra, and to continue delivering SBS’s unique content to audiences on their device of choice.” 

Head of Telstra Broadcast Services Andreas Eriksson said that the addition of the MediaCloud platform will provide broadcasters with incredible flexibility to manage their content offerings through virtual environments.

“The global media industry is expanding to cloud-enabled and software-defined capabilities. Adding these leading new capabilities alongside TBS’s existing global fibre and satellite networks sets us up to meet the evolving needs of the broadcast market as well as expand our value proposition to our global client base by providing a world-class broadcast operations in London.”

The MediaCloud acquisition is the latest offering from TBS, following recent expansion into new regions, as well as new advancements and partnerships to its Telstra Global Media Network.

America’s Federal Aviation Administration has issued an urgent directive, requesting that Boeing notify operators of 737 MAX airplanes to conduct additional inspections of the plane’s automated flight control system.

The directive enables Boeing’s recommendation to inspect planes with more than 6,000 flight hours be subject to specific electronic checks to become mandatory.

MCAS, an automated flight control system on the 737 MAX, was tied to two fatal 737 MAX crashes that led to the plane’s 20-month grounding that was lifted in November.