Lack of Latin Representation in Media Is Causing Loss of Billions

Despite Latin people making up nearly 20 percent of the country, they are still underrepresented in several types of media — and it’s a major business loss.

The Latino Donor Collaborative’s 2024 Latinos in Media report found that the entertainment industry could generate an additional $12 billion to $18 billion per year if it were to achieve proper Latin representation in TV and film productions.

According to the report, films with Latin people in above-the-line positions from 2013 to 2022 outperformed those without by 58 percent at the global box office. Latin folks make up 24 percent of movie ticket sales. Their significant influence is emphasized by their presence in record-breaking blockbusters like Inside Out 2, in which they made up 40 percent of viewers, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which had a 41 percent Latin audience.

In big screen projects, Latin representation in front of the camera stands at 8 percent, per the report, and only consists of 2 percent of lead roles, 1 percent of co-lead roles and 5 percent of ensemble cast roles. Behind the camera, Latin directors only account for 8 percent and screenwriters for 4 percent.

Of streaming films, Latin talent was the least represented of all groups in the report, which also looked at Black and Asian actors, with 6 percent. Prime Video stood out for its representation, with 30 percent of its overall main cast being of Latin descent. Latin people did see increases in terms of directors for streaming films, rising to 10 percent from 5.6 percent last year. Latin screenwriters also saw some improvement, climbing to 8 percent from 6.9 percent.

When it comes to TV shows, the LDC report looked at scripted and unscripted, as well as streaming and broadcast. In scripted shows, Latin actors made up 9.8 percent of the main cast in lead, co-lead and ensemble roles.

Of the 198 scripted shows analyzed in the findings, only 11 of them had a Latin actor in a lead role. Broadcast revealed further disparities in television, with Latin people comprising only 13 percent of the total main cast.

Streaming was no different. In fact, it was even worse. Latin actors made up 10 percent of the main cast roles and 7 percent of lead roles. Apple TV+ had 17 percent Latin representation in lead roles, while Disney+ did not have a single Latin person in a show’s main cast, and Netflix only had 7 percent.

In non-scripted television, Latin people only held 5 percent of host/presenter/narrator roles, 5 percent of participant/contributor roles and 6 percent of judge/expert roles.

According to the report, achieving market parity would require tripling the number of Latin leads in scripted shows and significantly increasing their presence behind the camera and in executive positions.

Similar to the LDC’s 2023 report, this year’s findings pointed more toward young Latin people, who make up 25 percent of the country’s youth population, abandoning traditional media for social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where they find authentic representation.

This group of people is actively choosing not to support companies that don’t put an emphasis on their community, with 63 percent noting they don’t feel authentically represented by the current media landscape.

See the full report, complete with calls to action here at 4 a.m. PT.