Netflix increases Asian leads, lags in Latino roles, report finds

The study also finds that the platform still lags in representing Latinos, the disabled and women of colour

Netflix Inc has increased the number of Asian and women in lead roles, but still lags in representing Latinos, the disabled and women of colour, a study by the streaming platform and the University of Southern California (USC) found.

While there have been strides for diversity in Hollywood in recent years, some communities criticise their lack of progress, both on and off screen.

To understand the lack of representation within the industry, Netflix partnered with USC and founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Dr Stacy L Smith, to analyse the inclusion metrics of the streaming service from 2018 to 2021 based on gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, and disability.

The study released on Thursday showed opportunities for women in lead roles, directorial roles and key creative roles have improved.

However, it also found that Netflix still lacks significant representation of characters with disabilities, gender-balanced storytelling in series, roles for girls and women of colour and opportunities for women writers.

Despite 27% of the US population identifying as disabled, only 1.1% of all characters in Netflix films and series have a disability, the study released on Thursday found.

The study also showed a lack of progress for Latino actors in Netflix films, who accounted for 5.8% of main casts compared to 17.1% for Blacks and 9.4% for Asians, despite Latinos making up 12% of the US population.

Only 1.9% of writers for Netflix films have been Latino, the study said.

Diversity in casting has improved markedly for Asians, with 41.5% of Netflix series having an Asian lead or co-lead in 2021, compared to only making up 4% of leads and co-leads in both films and series in 2018.

There has also been a significant increase in films and series featuring girls and women, rising from 46.4% in film and 50.6% in series in 2018 to 55% for both in 2021.