Streaming films top theatrical when it comes to diversity, new Hollywood study shows
A recent investigation reveals that one specific location in Hollywood, namely streaming movies, has seen fruitful outcomes from diversity initiatives.
On Wednesday, Part 2 of UCLA’s 2025 Hollywood Diversity Report was published, revealing an uptick in the number of women and individuals from underrepresented racial groups holding key entertainment positions compared to the last version of the yearly report. The study further noted that over half of the top 20 streaming-only films released in 2024 showcased diverse ensembles.
In a statement, Ana-Christina Ramón, co-founder and director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at UCLA, stated that people nationwide appreciate diverse movies whether they watch them in a cinema or from home. The first part of the 2025 Hollywood Diversity Report, published in February, reached a similar conclusion: films with diverse casts outperformed at the box office when compared to those without such representation.
Movies
In 2024, despite my excitement over blockbusters such as ‘Wicked,’ I found myself disheartened by a decrease in representation opportunities for people of color within the Hollywood film industry, as reported in the most recent UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report.
Streaming services are among the rare spots where the narratives and characters representing our nation’s populace can be observed, both in front of and behind the camera,” she pointed out.
As a movie connoisseur, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that half of the leading roles in this year’s most popular streamed films were skillfully portrayed by actors of color. This not only reflects a significant stride towards inclusivity but also surpasses the usual proportional representation we’ve seen in the past.
51% of the main roles in the most popular streaming releases of 2024 were played by actors of diverse backgrounds, which is an increase from 45% in 2023. Conversely, only 25.2% of lead roles in top movies shown in theaters during the same year were filled by actors of color, marking a decrease from 29.2%. Notably, people of color make up approximately 44.3% of the total population in the United States.
Despite a more detailed analysis, the study reveals that Latinx and Asian performers continue to be underrepresented in leading roles on streaming platforms. Specifically, Latinx actors made up only 6% of these roles, whereas Asian actors represented merely 2%. This is significant considering that approximately 19.5% of the U.S. population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, and around 6.4% identify as Asian.
In the year 2024, the proportion of women portraying leading roles in streaming films rose from 51% to 61%. However, a study revealed that despite making progress, actors with known disabilities continue to be underrepresented on screen compared to their numbers in reality.
In this recently published UCLA research, a focus was placed on 100 top English-language movies streamed in 2024 and 175 film contracts sealed that year. The data analyzed encompassed details about the demographic backgrounds of actors, scriptwriters, and directors associated with these films and agreements, along with movie genre and production budget.
Similar to the conclusions drawn in the UCLA’s theatrical study, it was observed in the streaming report that the top 2024 streaming films were predominantly watched by women and individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Television
The research indicates that women and ethnic minorities continue to be underrepresented in significant creative and leading positions, despite being an important audience demographic for viewership.
As a passionate admirer, I can confidently affirm that the data we’ve gathered indicates that storytellers and actors from diverse backgrounds have an extraordinary ability to captivate audiences across all demographics. It’s not just about watching; they spark conversations among their social media followers, igniting online discussions about these compelling narratives.
One significant distinction between streaming and theater movies, as per the study’s findings, lies in the overall film budgets. The research indicated that a substantial majority (65.5%) of top streaming releases in 2024 fell under a $20 million budget, whereas a slightly higher percentage (65.3%) of theatrical films from that year had budgets exceeding this figure, with approximately one-quarter (26%) boasting budgets of $100 million or more. Remarkably, only 4.4% of streaming movies in 2024 were within this high-budget range.
2024 statistics showed an upward trend for people of color in director and writer positions within top streaming films. Specifically, 30% were penned by authors of color, while a notable 41% were directed by directors of color. However, it’s unfortunate to note that the representation of women saw a decline: they accounted for only 28% of directors and 37% of writers in comparison to 31% and 41%, respectively, in the previous year.
Read the full report here.
Read More
2025-06-18 16:31