TED Launches TED Audio Collective for Podcasts

On February 22, 2021, TED launched the TED Audio Collective to house its growing collection of podcasts.

While broadly known for its global conferences and signature TED Talk videos, TED is also one of the top podcast publishers in the world. TED podcasts are downloaded 1.65 million per day in virtually every country on Earth.

Credit: audiocollective.ted.com

Our shows have been consistently ranked by Apple Podcasts as “most downloaded” of the year, and TED Talks Daily was the second most popular show globally on Spotify in 2020. Now the TED Audio Collective expands upon that foundation, creating a home for shows co-developed by TED and our speakers as well as shows developed and produced independently by inspiring thinkers and creators.

Credit: www.audiocollective.ted

The podcasts in the TED Audio Collective are for listeners curious about everything from philosophy and psychology to science, technology, business and unexpected pathways in between — all curated through TED’s lens of “ideas worth spreading.” Here’s a sneak peek of exciting new content to expect over the coming months.

New in the TED Audio Collective

• • Body Stuff – with Dr. Jen Gunter: Dr. Jen Gunter is on a mission to make us experts on the way our bodies work. Body Stuff is an original show developed by TED that aims to demystify the systems of the body while debunking medical myths along the way. Did you know that you don’t actually need eight glasses of water a day? That you can’t “boost” your immune system? With humor and wit, Dr. Jen Gunter, a celebrated OB/GYN and pain medicine physician and TED speaker​, aims to share accurate, evidence-based medical information in a fun and accessible way.
  • Lost Birds with Mona Chalabi: – From COVID to electoral politics, people are turning to data to make sense of the world as never before. But how well do we understand what those numbers actually mean? Interpreting data has never been more timely or relevant to fight misinformation and understand the world around us. In this original, sound-rich series, data scientist Mona Chalabi will take listeners on an inquiry into the central question: How can we use data to make sense of our lived experiences, and what are the limits of the data? Along the way, she will tackle urgent, random, and sometimes deeply personal questions: How does Google calculate walking speeds? What happens when cities get louder? When will my heartache end? (​Season 1 launches in June 2021)

Conversations with People Who Hate Me – TED ​alum​ Dylan Marron is joining the TED Audio Collective to continue exploring what happens when online feuders step out from behind the keyboard and get to know the human on the other side of the screen. In an internet era characterized by comment section wars, devastating clapbacks, and anonymous vitriol, Dylan Marron connects people who have clashed online – from old friends to complete strangers — to explore why we believe what we believe, how we relate to each other on the internet, and just what a phone call can accomplish. Don’t be fooled by the title! It’s actually a loving show that fosters unlikely connections in an age of increasing digital isolation. (​New episodes launching Fall 2021)

Design Matters – The iconic Design Matters with Debbie Millman pulls back the curtain on how incredibly creative people design the arc of their lives. It’s the world’s first podcast about design—an inquiry into the broader world of creative culture through wide-ranging conversations with designers, writers, artists, curators, musicians and other luminaries of contemporary thought. ​Design Matters​ joined the TED Audio Collective in October 2020 and is produced independently, with TED amplifying the podcast to its global audience. (New episodes every Monday. Watch out for upcoming conversations with Adam Grant, Jacqueline Woodson, Nick Cave and many more.)