NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--iHeartMedia, the leading media company in America with a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, today announced a first-of-its-kind agreement with actor Anna Faris to bring her hit podcast, “Anna Faris is Unqualified,” to Top 40 broadcast radio and the iHeartRadio Podcast Network.
“Unqualified” features interviews with celebrities and cultural figures who tackle a variety of topics such as dating and relationships, in addition to taking phone calls from listeners seeking relationship advice. Faris created the podcast with her long-time friend and co-host Sim Sarna, who produces the show and runs the production company, Unqualified Media.
Leveraging its “Podcast, Meet Broadcast” strategy, iHeartMedia has struck a groundbreaking deal with Unqualified Media to produce a long-form “Anna Faris is Unqualified” radio program which will air weekends across Top 40 broadcast radio stations nationwide. This unique initiative will expose Faris’ podcast to iHeartMedia’s unparalleled broadcast radio audience, allowing it to reach millions of new listeners across the country. In addition, iHeartMedia will create short-form content which will air weekdays promoting “Anna Faris is Unqualified” nationwide.
Additionally, “Anna Faris is Unqualified” will officially partner with iHeartRadio Podcast Network to provide exclusive podcast content just for iHeartRadio listeners.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be partnering with iHeartMedia to bring “Unqualified” to millions of new listeners,” said Faris. “At “Unqualified”, we pride ourselves on generally not knowing what we are doing, and it seems iHeart is willing to accept our values and form this expansive partnership with us. Being able to embarrass Sim to millions of new listeners is simply a dream come true.”
“We are so excited to introduce our podcast to millions of new listeners that may not have known that Anna Faris had a podcast – or even what a podcast is,” said Sarna. “We hope that by working with iHeartMedia, we can give even more people deeply unqualified advice.”
“As big fans of Anna Faris and “Unqualified,” we know this series is the perfect partner to launch this Podcast-to-Broadcast opportunity,” said Chris Peterson, Senior Vice President of Podcasting for iHeartMedia. “We can help podcasts like ‘Anna Faris is Unqualified’ scale in a big way by introducing them to our quarter of a billion broadcast listeners each month. While podcasting continues to grow on iHeartRadio and across the industry, nearly three-quarters of the country still do not listen to podcasts. We have the ability to reach those listeners through radio’s massive reach, helping to introduce podcasts to the vast majority of people often for the first time.”
iHeartMedia’s “Podcast, Meet Broadcast” initiative works with podcast creators to scale their shows using iHeartMedia’s massive reach through broadcast radio, which sees more than 90 percent of Americans tuning in to its stations each month, and introduces these listeners to a variety of podcast content to which they may not have otherwise been exposed.
iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s free digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service, provides an all-in-one listening experience that helps users discover new podcasts alongside their favorite live radio stations, personalities and on-demand music. With iHeartRadio, listeners can enjoy their music and podcasts across more than 250 device platforms including in-car, in-home, on wearables, across gaming consoles and more – making their favorite audio content available everywhere they are, on the devices they use most. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download and listen to “Anna Faris is Unqualified” on your favorite device now.
About Anna Faris is Unqualified
Launched in 2015 by actor, writer and comedienne Anna Faris and her long-time friend Sim Sarna, who produces the show and runs the production company, Unqualified Media, “Anna Faris is Unqualified” prides itself on “Not-great relationship advice from completely unqualified Hollywood types.” The series is among the most downloaded podcasts in America. It received Apple’s “Best of iTunes” award, and was named Entertainment Weekly’s top podcast of the year for 2016. Recent celebrity guests on “Unqualified” include Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Evans, Eva Longoria, Nick Jonas, and Kelly Clarkson.
About iHeartMedia
With over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S. and over 131 million social followers, iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet in America. As the leading audio company in the U.S., iHeartMedia serves over 150 local markets through 849 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, on satellite, at iHeartRadio.com, on the company’s station websites and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital music, podcast, on demand and live streaming radio service, available on over 250 platforms and 2,000 devices, including on digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables and smartphones, on virtual assistants, smart speakers, TVs and gaming consoles.
iHeartRadio offers users the country’s top live radio stations, personalized custom artist stations created by just one song or seed artist, on demand features and the top podcasts and personalities. The all-in-one digital service has more than 1.7 billion downloads, 110 million registered users and is the No. 1 commercial radio podcaster in the U.S.
iHeartMedia’s platforms include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital, social, podcasts, personalities and influencers, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (PINK: IHRTQ). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
