EXCLUSIVE: PopViewers, the movie and TV show recommendation app, announced a partnership with comedian and show host Steve Harvey.

PopViewers is a Black-owned technology startup with a focus on the amplification of diverse voices. Harvey will partner with PopViewers Inc. to elevate its mission of not only helping users find what to watch next but making sure the viewers’ voices are heard.

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“PopViewers is creating a more inclusive viewing experience and building a space which represents the voices and perspectives of viewers from diverse backgrounds,” said Steve Harvey. Most media critics don’t look like me or Chris, and this impacts how movies and shows are sold to wider audiences. This is why I like the vision and why I decided to do this partnership. By bringing in more diverse voices, we can elevate great talent, making sure that it can be recognized and appreciated globally.”

Since launching a year ago, PopViewers has seen a growth in installs of 10-14% per week. The app, currently available in the Apple store, is a community created to help folks discover what movies and TV shows to watch next and provides them a platform to engage with other users about the content they consume. PopViewers democratizes the critic review process and is a sentiment analytics and marketing resource for theater chains, studios, TV networks, and streaming platforms. By building out a sentiment-fed machine learning application, the company’s goal is to create not only a more diverse media landscape, but one that features content that better resonates with audiences.

By redefining the movie critic feedback loop, shortening it, and making it more accurate through diversity and inclusion, PopViewers stands to significantly reduce costs for content creators by reducing the waste in production and marketing budgets. The real winners are the viewers who will have content created that they enthusiastically want to watch.

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“Growing up in Warren, Ohio I used to watch The Steve Harvey Show after school. Through the screen, he taught me valuable life lessons. I told myself then that if Steve Harvey could dream big enough to make it out of Cleveland, Ohio to be on my TV, I could do the same,” said CEO and Founder, Chris Witherspoon.

“One of the most important things I’ve learned on my journey as a Founder and CEO is to have a clear, unwavering vision – no matter the obstacles before me – and to lead with passion and conviction. I learned that from a talk Steve Harvey gave years ago which makes it feel surreal to have him as a partner to help PopViewers flourish.”

Steve Harvey fans can now go to PopViewers to voice their impressions and support for Judge Steve Harvey, the Family Feud shows, and a host of other top tier shows and films. Harvey Ventures has consistently invested in Black founders and with Steve Harvey Global’s Chief Strategy Officer, Thabiti Stephens leading this partnership, the team will draw on insights from across the Harvey portfolio to help elevate and scale PopViewers.

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