Streaming Platforms Are Driving Diverse Representation In Television

Streaming services have considerably more diverse talent representation than other television platforms, according to a new Nielsen report that measures the media industry’s progress toward on-screen inclusion.

The study tracked the top 100 most viewed programs in 2019 across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms and analyzed the “share of screen” and “inclusion opportunity index” for multiple identity groups. Nielsen defined share of screen as an identity group’s representation among the top ten recurring cast members and the inclusion opportunity index as the percent of visibility for an identity group compared to its population estimate.

Among the top 300 most viewed programs in 2019, 92% have some presence of diversity, which is a commendable feat, says Nielsen CEO David Kenny. “But presence is not the same as inclusion and there are many opportunities for improvement.”

White non-Hispanic people and men have the largest share of on-screen roles, while people of color are underrepresented across the entire TV landscape.  And although women represent 52% of the U.S. population, they have just a 38% share of screen.

Women’s visibility drops even further as they age. Female talent over the age of 50 represents an 8% share of screen despite making up 20% of the population and 20% of all TV viewers. In contrast, men over 50, who make up 17% of the U.S. population, boast nearly twice the screen time of their female counterparts.

The most inclusive representation for women and people of color is seen in subscription video on demand (SVOD) programming, which might explain why diverse audiences are increasingly cutting the cord and outpace the general population in subscribing to streaming services. Women have a 48.9% share of screen on streaming platforms, compared to 33.1% on broadcast and 37.8% on cable.

Communities of color also appear on-screen at different rates. Hispanic and Latinx people—the largest minority group in the U. S.—are significantly underrepresented across all platforms and genres, representing just one-third of their population presence on television.  However, Native Americans struggle the most to see themselves represented and have the lowest share of screen time. 

Black Americans present a different story: They are devout consumers of media and a driving force for television viewership, with an average weekly reach of 88%. Black talent is also a key source of inclusion on screen and accounts for the highest total share of screen among any racial minority group at 18%, exceeding their 14% population estimate in the U.S. 

But a more granular look at the gender breakdown reveals that Black male representation is driving the demographic’s on-screen growth. Despite making up more than half of the Black population, Black female talent receives less than a 1% share of screen in news and weather content.

While a diverse representation of onscreen identities is important, the context in which they’re presented also matters. “Representation drives identity development and whether [viewers] see themselves in successful roles,” says Stacie de Armas, senior vice president of diverse insights and initiatives at Nielsen.

Hispanic and Latinx viewers often see key themes like dysfunction and melodrama when they’re portrayed on-screen. Black women see narratives around rivalry, investigations and personal relationships. And white women are cast in programming that touches on friendship, love and family homes.

Given the media industry’s dependence on advertising, diverse representation factors into the bottom line. Brands seek out platforms that authentically engage a diverse customer base and avoid content that is not well received by the diverse audiences represented in storylines. 

“Advertisers want as broad of an audience as possible to reflect a customer base that’s increasingly diverse,” says Ronjn Sikdar, who leads Nielsen’s Media Analytics group.

Nearly 90% of top advertisers invested 7% or more of their 2019 ad spend into programs that are inclusive of Black women, which reflects the proportion of Black women in Nielsen’s population estimates. About 80% of advertisers invested in LBTQ-inclusive programs.

Nielsen’s CEO, David Kenny, says these new insights demonstrate that diverse casting pays off and it leads to “increased audience growth and improved advertise reach.”

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