NEW YORK—A host of research studies going back more than a decade have shown that Hispanics are more active on digital media than the general population and that they are one of the fastest growing audiences for streaming content.
Now, new research from Nielsen is showing that the inclusion of Hispanic talent in front and/or behind the camera in streaming programs has a direct correlation on the bingeability and cultural watchability of a program.
The study also found that shows with Hispanic talent in front or behind the camera were also very successful in attracting new, non-Hispanic viewers.
In this first-of-its-kind analysis, Nielsen's latest “Diverse Intelligence Series (DIS) report: Latino Led Content and Viewers: The Building Blocks for Streaming Success” looked at the 530 most-streamed programs in the U.S. from 2021 through first-quarter 2022 to better understand what drives bingeability and cultural watchability.
The report's data found that Hispanic representation correlates with bingeability (i.e. how many TV show episodes audiences watch per day).
For shows that included in-front of the camera Hispanic representation, bingeability scores increased. When looking at top bingeable content (a score of 3 or more), Hispanic talent has a significant contribution. 56 of the 134 programs with a score of 3 or higher featured Hispanic representation. Of all the most bingeable streaming programs of 2021, half included Hispanic talent.
For shows with behind-the-camera Hispanic representation, cultural watchability (i.e. Hispanic share of the audience of content for Latinos and all audiences) averaged 25.2%, irrespective of on-camera representation. When a show includes Hispanic representation both behind- and in-front of the-camera, cultural watchability increases to 34.2%.
"It's clear that inclusion plays a significant role in bingeability and cultural watchability in content for Latinos," said Stacie de Armas Nielsen's senior vice president of diverse insights and initiatives. "Also significant is that Latino-led content not only serves Latino audiences but attracts new viewers and subscribers to platforms, who stay longer and consume more content, which goes to show the power of Latino-led content."
The report also found that Latino-led content amplified the value of the streaming platforms because new audiences came to watch those programs, then stayed to watch more than the program that originally drew them in. In fact, 58% of the new audiences attracted to these Latino-inclusive casts and productions were not Hispanic.
Other key insights from the report included:
- Many Americans have leaned into streaming content, as annual impressions through July 2022 increased by 23%. Among Hispanics, however, impressions increased 22% in the same period, while they increased just 20% for non-Hispanic White audiences. Time spent streaming among Hispanics is up more than 19% from last year, as this audience streamed 33.5 billion minutes of video each week as of July 2022. Netflix and YouTube are among the most popular platforms among Hispanics, as this audience spent 24% and 57% more time with these platforms, respectively, than non-Hispanic Whites during the same period.
- This year, weekly AVOD viewing among Hispanics has increased by 23% presenting a significant marketing opportunity. Additionally, according to Nielsen's 2022 Attitudes on Representation TV study, 49% of Hispanic viewers say they're more likely to buy from brands that advertise in inclusive content, especially when the ads themselves feature someone from their identity group.
- Despite the increase in available content and the migration to streaming services, many Hispanics still do not find enough meaningful content with on-screen representation of the community. In fact, Hispanic audiences believe representation has actually declined over the past year. Additionally, 41% of Hispanics believe representation is inaccurate, which is a 1 percentage point increase from 2021.
- Spanish language streaming content delivers greater share of screen and bingeability. Top streamed content that originates in Spanish language has an average bingeability score of 2.5, and nearly half are in the drama genre, followed by thriller/action adventure.
The full report is available here.
