Invite-only audio chat app Clubhouse has struck a deal with TED to bring exclusive talks on its platform starting Monday. The deal lets TED sell ads and sponsorships for its conversations and Clubhouse will not take any share, reports The Verge.
It's still not clear if the chats will be available as podcasts or other on-demand recordings. The first TED Talks room was set to arrive on Clubhouse on Monday, and additional rooms will be launched soon via TED's Clubhouse club. TED can now host regular Q&As and integrate audience interaction on Clubhouse.
TED has a growing podcast business, with over 1.65 million episode downloads per day. Clubhouse is also working on its own private messaging feature, at a time when companies like Facebook and Spotify are launching a copycat service to take on Clubhouse which has grown in popularity. The company accidentally leaked a private messaging feature called Backchannel to some users last month.
Backchannel is likely to let users chat via text instead of audio, just like WhatsApp or Telegram. The TED partnership comes at a time when Facebook has rolled out Live Audio Rooms and podcasts on its platforms for public figures and select users in the US.Spotify has also debuted Greenroom, its live audio Clubhouse rival.
