New study finds Latinos are the mostrepresented in media

Despite the growth and consumer power of U.S. Latinos, they continue to be underrepresented in media, according to a new report.

Latinos represent 1 in 4 potential American TV and film viewers and help bring in 20% to 30% of the industry's revenue, and more than 50% of its growth, according to a study released Friday by the nonprofit Latino Donor Collaborative.

The study found that Latinos accounted for 5.2% of leads in films, 5.1% of co-leads ensemble actors, 3.5% of screenwriters and 2.6% of directors. Half of the lead roles were positive representations and half were negative.

The study also measured films from the annual top 100 films in theaters and over-the top platforms, as well as prime-time, original, new and returning TV shows. It found that Latinos are the largest minority group in media and the most underrepresented in media.

On TV shows, Latinos made up 3.1% of lead actors, 2.1% of co-leads ensemble actors and 1.5% of showrunners.

There are no Latino CEOs or film and production company chairs, important decision-making roles that help greenlight stories and steer content. More Latinos are turning to social media platforms and brands for content such as YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat because of the lack of representation, according to the report. According to Spotify, 11 of the 20 most frequently streamed songs of the summer are by Latino artists.

The report states that the current levels of Latino representation for media companies are not sustainable if they want to tap the rapid and robust purchasing power of Hispanics, who have a younger median age 29 than their non-Latino counterparts 38 Unfortunately, Hollywood does not seem to have a strategy to address the U.S. Latino market, Sol Trujillo, a co-founder and chairman of the board at the Latino Donor Collaborative.

From 2010 to 2019, the purchasing power of Latinos increased by 69%. In the year 2019 they accounted for 23% of all moviegoers and bought $2.9 billion 29% of all box office tickets sold in English-language films.

The Latino community has lags behind at all levels of representation, despite the fact that there has been tremendous diversity advancement in Hollywood in recent years. A lack of strategy to include Latinos, the largest and fastest growing minority, directly translates into money being left on the table and opportunities missed, Ana Valdez, the Latino Donor Collaborative president and CEO, said in the report.

The Latino Source for Hollywood has created a free database that includes 3,000 names of experienced actors, writers and directors who have worked with leading networks or studios in the last five years to increase the hiring of Latino talent.