The entertainment industry is global and its content should reflect that. Let’s analyze the role that streaming platforms play in showcasing diversity on TV screens, and whether there’s more that can be done.
Do Streaming Services Have Better Representation Than Traditional TV and Film?
The first-ever TV diversity and inclusion report produced by Nielsen found that audiences from all demographic groups preferred shows with more diverse casting, coinciding with similar findings from earlier studies, such as a 2018 UCLA Hollywood diversity report.
The study ranked media platforms based on the top 10 recurring cast members on each of their top 100 shows, except for sports, movies, and animation. The study found that streaming services have the widest range of shows starring people of color, compared to other television platforms.
Cable ranked lowest for representation of Black, Latinx, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Native American actors.
What Are the Demographics for On-Screen Talent in Streaming?
The Nielsen study found that streaming shows offered either the highest or the second-highest rate of representation for recurring characters who are Black, Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern, or Native American. Non-Hispanic actors make up 81.2% of all recurring characters on broadcast, cable, and streaming programs combined.
Black recurring actors were most frequently seen on broadcast TV shows, where they accounted for 24.7% of screen time. Streaming shows where Black actors were on screen 18.9% of the time weren’t far behind. To put this into perspective, Black Americans make up about 13% of the US population.
Representation for Latinx, who make up 18% of the US population, was the lowest among racial and ethnic groups. However, streaming platforms accounted for the highest share of recurring Latinx cast members, where Latinx actors were on screen 10.1% of the time.
Streaming platforms also had the highest rate of representation for recurring women characters at 48.9%, as well as LGBTQ characters at 8.3%. The authors of the Nielsen study commented on the findings for cable TV in comparison:
What Are Streaming Companies Doing to Improve Diversity?
Audiences are the backbone of the entertainment industry. For this reason, it is important that entertainment companies meet their audiences’ needs. Some streaming platforms have taken steps towards improving inclusion in their programming.
So far, Netflix seems to be the streaming company making a visible, concerted effort in this area. In 2019, Netflix commissioned The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative to study inclusion across its scripted series and films in an effort to improve.
The study analyzed Netflix’s 126 original live-action films, as well as 180 series released in 2018 and 2019 in the US. It examined on-screen inclusion across gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, as well as disability. It also assessed gender and race/ethnicity of key personnel behind the camera as well.
The study found that 19 of 22 measures examined by the researchers improved from 2018 to 2019. Here’s a summary of its findings:
Women and girls: 52% of all leads and co-leads across film and series were girls and women, meaning the streaming service has reached gender parity for on-screen representation. Underrepresented ethnic groups: 31. 9% of all leads and co-leads were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups across both series and film content. Girls/women of color: Netflix films featured girls and women of color in 19% of all leading and co-leading roles, in proportion with the US Census. Black leads: Netflix storytelling in 2018 and 2019 included Black characters as leads, co-leads, and main cast in proportion to the US population; 15. 2% of stories overall featured Black leads and co-leads. During this period, Black-led and co-led series more than doubled from 6. 3% to 14. 4%. Latinx leads: Only 2. 6% of leads and co-leads, and 4. 5% of main cast were Latinx or US-born Latinos not of Spanish origin. LGBTQ+: Although nearly 12% of the US population identifies as LGBTQ+, 2. 3% of all leads or co-leads, 5. 3% of main cast, and 2. 8% of speaking characters in Netflix content combined were LGBTQ. Leads with disabilities: Only 5. 3% of stories featured leads or co-leads with a disability.
Why Diversity Is Important in Streaming
The case for representation in entertainment is very simple: Viewers want to watch people who look like them, and content that represents the world they live in as it truly is. Seeing actors of different colors and genders on screen gives viewers a sense of familiarity and eliminates the fear of the unknown.
We spend hours every day engaging with TV programming from broadcasters, cable networks, and streaming services; and the content we consume plays a key role in forming our identities, informing the way we think, and shaping the realities we associate with others.
This is why the presence of diverse people on screen and, equally important, the context in which they are presented, can be among the most influential factors in developing our personal attitudes and beliefs.
Overall, the inclusion study found that representation in on-screen content is low for multiple identity groups across all media platforms. Streaming, however, fares better for inclusion, followed by broadcast and cable platforms.
Audiences are increasingly seeking content that tells their stories; stories they can relate to. As a result, viewers are migrating to platforms that have broad and more diverse content offerings, such as streaming platforms.
As stated by the inclusion study’s authors:
In 2019, Black and Hispanic TV households had among the highest cord-cutting rates in the US. Streaming reflects a strong representation of Hispanic, East Asian, and Black people, corresponding to those groups’ increase in turning to streaming platforms at higher rates than the general market.
The Importance of On-Screen Diversity in Creating an Inclusive Society
The first step to creating an inclusive society is for people to feel seen and be seen. The stories told, the way they are told, and by whom helps viewers feel empowered and learn about those who are different from them.
While other entertainment platforms have people of color as a part of their programming, they can take a page out of Netflix’s book on increasing diversity and representation in their content. That way, they too can give voice to underrepresented groups, and help society move towards a more inclusive future.
